To reach a climate-neutral future and sustainable mobility solutions, new and unexpected collaborations are a must. Inspired by this shared conviction, a group of designers, leaders in e-mobility and material engineering have joined forces in a unique project, named Re:Move, which will be presented at SXSW (South by South West Conference & Festival) i March 2021.

Commissioned by Wallpaper* Magazine, and created by designer Konstantin Grcic, material experts from energy and aluminium company Hydro have collaborated with electric car maker Polestar and electric motorcycle pioneer CAKE to develop Re:Move. 

Re:Move is a small but multi-functional electric transporter for the city of the immediate future, and presents a new, sustainable way to carry and deliver goods. 

Radical in design, engineering and ambition, Re:Move aims to spark new thinking around urban infrastructure and mobility. 

The coronavirus crisis has opened a window to a world with less noisy cities, where the air is cleaner to breathe. In parallel, there has been a surge in online shopping and home deliveries. Inspired by this, the group behind Re:Move saw the need to reimagine last-mile deliveries and how goods are transported within cities as the world looks to radically reduce the reliance on combustion engines. It strives to become a catalyst for change, inspiring new thinking around electric mobility. 

“Hydro wants to lead the way in the green energy transition, and we believe collaborations between leading partners are key to accelerate this change. With our growth in renewable energy and low-carbon aluminium we can be an important partner for companies in their effort to further reduce emissions in production and use. This is why we are proud to work together with partners like Polestar to help accelerate the shift to more sustainable mobility,” says Hilde M. Aasheim, President & CEO of Hydro. 

See video from the SXSW Online 2021 conference between the partners on how the project came together and how Hydro contributes:

Grcic has designed Re:Move to be a dynamic, three-wheeled urban ‘sled.’ A team of innovators in e-mobility and Hydro’s experts in material engineering, collaborating remotely, worked to make his vision a viable, working reality. Compact and mobile enough for most bike lanes but big enough to handle a 275-kg payload, Re:Move defines a new vehicle category. Built with fully recyclable, low-carbon aluminium, Re:Move carries and delivers in a cleaner, quieter, kinder way. 

“This is only the beginning,” states Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath. “The electric drivetrain is only the first step, then we have to look at the whole supply chain and what materials we design with. This is so much more exciting than the last twenty years when designers were just making things pretty.” 

Grcic worked with the Hydro engineering team, Polestar’s design engineering lead at the company’s UK R&D facility, Chris Staunton, and CAKE founder Stefan Ytterborn to overcome the complex engineering challenges of realizing his design.  

Konstantin Grcic comments: “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 directness, the pragmatism, is nice. Good design has always been sustainable, because it’s lasting. Things that have a long lifecycle are sustainable.”  

Wallpaper contributing editor Nick Compton says: “The Re:Move project is an amazing example of what you can achieve when you bring together the right collaborators and they get behind a good, clear idea. There is just a real energy and sense of purpose in play. The engineering and material challenges are actually quite complex but at every turn, solutions have been found. Konstantin has responded to that and the design of Re:Move has rapidly evolved, becoming more compelling and dynamic.”  

“What an irresistible combination of contributors. With Konstantin leading design and innovation and a platform of outstanding enablers in Hydro, Polestar and Wallpaper, we were honored to be included, bringing drivetrain and battery technology to the table. With the obligation to inspire towards zero emissions, this is the kind of project, involving peak competence, that truly accelerates that motion," says Ytterborn. 

A working version of Re:Move will be unveiled autumn 2021, but the story behind the development of Re-Move (so far) will be first revealed by the collaboration partners at the SXSW (South by South West) Conference & Festival in March 2021.