Swedish startup unveils first ‘origami’ e-motorcycle – and €15,000 price tag
What do you get when you combine motorcycles with origami? The answer, dear reader, is the Stilride 1.
The unique vehicle is the brainchild of a Swedish startup Quiet ride. The company today revealed the final design and price for the new electric ride, which will launch in 2024.
For €15,000 each customer receives a custom motorcycle that combines looks, performance and durability.
To craft each vehicle, Stilride uses a groundbreaking method called “industrial origami,” which applies the Japanese art of paper folding to sheet metal. The startup’s software first defines the geometries, which are then brought to life by industrial robots and laser cutting.
For the Stilride 1, the entire process requires a single sheet of stainless steel. Because it is folded rather than welded, minimal pollutants are produced. To further minimize environmental impact, the bicycle is produced locally from a small number of parts. It is also lightweight, which reduces energy consumption.
“It is designed for both the motorcycle enthusiast and the design and durability purist.
Tue Beijer, CTO and co-founder of Stilride, wants the bicycle to set “a new gold standard” for electric mobility.
“The Stilride 1 is the result of years of ambition, passion and experimentation, distilled into a wonderfully unconventional lightweight electric motorcycle that is not only an engineering feat, but also a work of art,” Beijer said in a statement. “It’s designed for both the motorcycle enthusiast and the design and durability purist.”
But does it pass the eye test? You can judge for yourself in the gallery below:
The aesthetic modernizes the previous design, which my colleague Ioanna compared to “an origami duck.” In my eyes, the new model looks more like the steel love child of a Vespa and an electric guitar.
Anyway, looks aren’t everything on the road. In terms of specifications, the Stilride 1 features an ultra-lightweight chassis made from recycled Swedish steel, a premium HUB motor system, single shock absorber and multi-link rear suspension, and a braking system developed in conjunction with ISR.
There’s also a compelling connectivity system. The motorcycle’s Electric Vehicle Control Unit (eVCU) controls several functions via the Stilcontrol app, which provides theft protection, geographic positioning, service diagnostics and battery status monitoring.
Further technical details can be found in the image below:

The specs and price are certainly eye-catching – but will they convince you to splash your hard-earned cash? Let us know through the usual channels.
If your answer is yes, the launch date for the Stilride 1 will be announced this summer. And if you are interested in early access, you can learn more about Stilride’s website.