We know Polestar as the Volvo spinoff that is high-end electrified and electric cars, such as the Polestar 2 EV sedan and the PHEV Polestar 1 coupe. But Polestar’s interest in battery-powered transport evidently is wide-ranging, stretching all the way to the machine pictured here: the Re:Move, an electric delivery scooter.
The Re:Move was created in collaboration with CAKE, an electric off-road motorcycle company in Sweden. It’s described as a three-wheeled “urban sled”. The idea is that it could be used for “last-mile” deliveries in crowded cities. As such, it could replace small vans (although obviously without any weather protection) or also some bicycle deliveries. The vehicle features an aluminum frame and is said to be able to handle a 606-pound payload, yet is slim enough to travel in a bike lane. The driver stands at the rear and operates handlebar-mounted controls. The cargo rides up front, although it would need to be secured since there are no sides to the load platform.
The Re:Move concept will make its debut at SXSW (South by Southwest) on March 17, with a working version due this fall.
The project was commissioned by the British design magazine Wallpaper. The design is the work of Konstantin Grcic, a German-based industrial designer. Grcic primarily creates furniture and interior spaces, although he also did at least two vehicle projects, both for Smart: a special-edition Smart ForTwo in 2019 and the Smart Mobile Disco, a concept in which a ForTwo sprouted a hydraulic crane that supported a DJ booth.
The Re:Move is somewhat less fanciful. Quoted in a press release, Grcic says, “The horizontal platform and the vertical shield is something you don’t see in vehicle design. This is how you’d build a table or a shelf. I think the simplicity and the directness, the pragmatism, is nice.”
The Re:Move makes its debut at a time when shared EV scooters are being removed (ahem) from cities around the country, as urban governments have grown annoyed with abandoned scooters strewn everywhere and clueless riders colliding with pedestrians. But perhaps the Re:Move’s utilitarian purpose can bring the idea of micro-mobility back into society’s good graces.
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