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Ozoa Electric Bicycle by Nimrod Riccardo Sapir |
Home > Winners > Design #92711 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
NS: Designed to be an iconic and recognized object, the inspiration is the letter 'Z', and the name is adopted to reflect its shape. The two 'O's are the wheels and the 'Z' is for the frame whilst the "a" is for the assisted electric element. Another inspiration is the font of the brand's logo.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
NS: This particular concept took about 1 day. Then, to prove the concept, it took about a week. It then took a further 8 months for finalizing and engineering. I took averagely longer as the company was creating another concept in parallel to the OZOa. It took another 5 months to bring it into production.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
NS: When thinking up a concept, we first had to do a lot of research. This involved observing hundreds of bicycles and electrical bicycles for their ergonomics, construction and function. All parts were marked in their average ergonomic anchor points and the frame was disregarded. We searched for clean and identifiable frame shapes which would contain electric parts (e.g.: battery and controller) and would bear the weight of riders. Our fourth attempt gleaned a "z" shape. Our research into other existing products in the market with this shape revealed some unsuccessful attempts, none of which had passed the concept stage.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
NS: The product was commissioned first from the company who wanted to create an electric bike and it is currently in the production phase.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
NS: Bike lovers Electric bicycle lovers Urban commuters Commuters who favor e-scooter but due to the commuting distance prefer to sit Fans of the INOKIM brand who find it challenging to ride an e-scooter People who find it difficult to ride an electric scooter
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
NS: I think it's one of the most iconic of the e-bikes so far. You can immediately recognize the "z" shape within it. The OZOa also has a suspension system and a removable battery which can be charged either away from the bicycle or when it's still inside.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
NS: The inspiration is the letter 'Z', and the name is adopted to reflect its shape. The two 'O's are the wheels and the 'Z' is for the frame whilst the "a" is for the assisted electric element.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
NS: Achieving the desired shape presented production challenges. Small radii in the "Z" shaped corners preclude the use of bending material. So, we divided the frame into sections, combining them into one continuous line. We created extruded aluminum profiles to cover the length and width of the bicycle. The sections were welded together and plastic covers were added where needed.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
NS: We have an in-house R&D team lead by Wei Zhang and together we found solutions for all issues.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
NS: Combining the role of technology. Technology takes a very high role as we needed to combine the different electric parts such as battery, motor, throttle, and controller into one display screen in front of the user upon which he can observe information about the OZO bike such as battery condition, maximum speed, average speed, trip distance and more.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
NS: The research involved observing hundreds of bicycles and electrical bicycles for their ergonomics, construction and function. All parts were marked in their average ergonomic anchor points and the frame was disregarded. We searched for clean and identifiable frame shapes which would contain electric parts (e.g.: battery and controller) and would bear the weight of riders. Our fourth attempt gleaned a "z" shape. Our research into other existing products in the market with this shape revealed some unsuccessful attempts, none of which had passed the concept stage.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
NS: Achieving the desired shape presented production challenges. Small radii in the "Z" shaped corners preclude the use of bending material. So, we divided the frame into sections, combining them into one continuous line. We created extruded aluminum profiles to cover the length and width of the bicycle. The sections were welded together and plastic covers were added where needed.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
NS: I thought that the OZOa is unique enough to share and to test myself whether it really hits the mark. I'm glad that I got this award as approval.
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
NS: It is my first effort in designing an e-bike after several e-scooters. As the market is already saturated with electric bikes, I wasn't sure that I would be able to come up with an original "good enough" concept.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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