Living in a big city with bad infrastructure and inadequate transport connectivity is often fraying to the nerves. To avoid the stress and strain of having to drive around the city centre more and more people have been turning to other transport alternatives.

That is exactly why the vehicles bunched under the term “mircomobility” have been gaining in popularity - electric scooters weighing under 500 kg., widely used in many towns in Europe and the world.

One addition to this segment is the electric-powered hybrid between bicycle and scooter created by Bulgarian automotive engineer Tsvetan Iliev.

“When the first sketch appeared I had moved to Sofia and found travelling to work an extremely stressful process because of the traffic and because so many people were breaking the road traffic rules,” Tsvetan Iliev says. “I wanted to offer something that was different, something not quite “wacky”.  So, I said to myself that a bicycle-scooter combination is an idea worth developing.  I decided on a more specific design that will set my vehicle apart from other models on the market.”

As we know, any hybrid vehicle has its advantages, but also its drawbacks. In the case of engineer Tsvetan Iliev’s invention, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages – sustainability, maneuverability, the pleasure of riding a bike.

“The hybrid allows for the use of various bicycle accessories and infrastructure – handlebar basket, locking mechanism,” the engineer explains. “The biggest advantage it has over bicycles is that it has fewer moving parts, and this makes it cheaper and more reliable, it also needs less maintenance. For some people the lack of a seat may be a drawback. To my mind it is more of an advantage because when you are sitting in front of a computer in the office all day long, it is a good thing to spend 15-20 minutes standing on your feet.”

Serial production of the hybrid - this is Tsvetan Iliev’s next priority, and he has been working on it for the past year. He admits that he found it difficult to raise the seed capital. But as he is currently negotiating with a potential investor, the engineer says he is hoping to start making his vehicle in the autumn. As to the development opportunities for this kind of eco-mobility, he says there are many and that more are yet to come. 

Photos: roadhunter.bg