DREEM · Project

Safer Foldable 3-Wheel E-Scooter Designed for Public Transport Integration

transportPilotedTRL 7

Imagine you take the bus to work but the stop is a 15-minute walk from your office. DREEM built a foldable 3-wheel electric kick scooter you can carry onto public transport and ride for that "last mile." They added safety features like an inflatable helmet and a rear camera, plus an in-wheel motor so it rides smoothly. They tested it in 3 European cities and got it ready for factory production.

By the numbers

Hub motor prototypes produced for pilot testing

Pilot cities where the e-scooter was tested

Consortium partners across the project

European countries involved

Wheels on the scooter for improved stability

Total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

City commuters abandon public transport when the first or last mile to the station is too far to walk. Existing e-scooters are unsafe (2 wheels, no helmet), impossible to carry on a bus, and run by operators whose business models conflict with transit authorities. Cities and transport companies need a micro-mobility vehicle that is safe, portable, and designed to complement — not compete with — public transit.

The solution

What was built

A 3-wheel foldable electric kick scooter with modular battery, in-wheel hub motor (40 prototypes built), inflatable helmet with GPS tracking, rear camera/radar safety sensors, and electronic control module with human-machine interface. The final design was optimized for competitive factory production and tested in 3 European pilot cities.

Audience

Who needs this

Shared micro-mobility fleet operators (Tier, Lime, Voi, Dott)City transit authorities looking to solve first/last mile gapsAutomotive component suppliers entering the micro-mobility marketMobility-as-a-Service platform providersCorporate campus and logistics facility operators needing short-distance transport

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Urban Mobility & Shared Transport

mid-size

Target: Shared mobility operators and micro-mobility fleet companies

If you are a shared scooter operator dealing with rider safety complaints and vehicles that don't integrate well with public transit — this project developed a 3-wheel e-kickscooter with built-in safety sensors, an inflatable helmet system, and foldable design tested across 3 pilot cities. The modular battery and in-wheel motor were prototyped in batches of up to 40 units, ready for production scale-up.

Public Transport & Transit Authorities

enterprise

Target: City transit authorities and mobility-as-a-service platforms

If you are a transit authority struggling to solve the first/last mile gap that keeps commuters from using public transport — this project designed and piloted a foldable electric scooter specifically built to be carried on buses and trains. The consortium of 10 partners across 6 countries developed new business models for integrating micro-mobility with existing transit networks.

Vehicle Components & Automotive Suppliers

SME

Target: Electric motor and safety equipment manufacturers

If you are a component supplier looking to enter the fast-growing micro-mobility market — this project produced 40 hub motor prototypes with integrated power electronics, plus an innovative inflatable helmet with GPS-based usage tracking. The final scooter design was optimized for fast factory production ramp-up at competitive cost.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or manufacture this e-scooter design?

The project does not publish specific unit costs or licensing fees. However, the final release was explicitly designed for 'fast production ramp up at competitive cost,' and the consortium includes factory tooling specialists. Contact the coordinator for commercial terms.

Can this scale to mass production?

Yes — the project moved from first design release to a factory-ready final version. Hub motor prototypes were produced in batches of up to 40 units, and specialized engineers optimized the vehicle design specifically for production scale-up. The 80% industry ratio in the consortium (8 out of 10 partners) supports manufacturing readiness.

Who owns the IP and can I license it?

IP is shared among the 10 consortium partners across 6 countries. The coordinator is Dumarey Automotive Italia SPA, an Italian automotive company. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the consortium. Based on available project data, no open licensing terms are published.

Has this actually been tested with real riders in real cities?

Yes. The project ran 3 different pilot cases testing the 3-wheel e-kickscooter in urban and suburban environments. The pilots tested both the vehicle features (foldability, safety, modular battery) and new business models for integrating with public transport.

What safety features does it have compared to regular e-scooters?

The scooter includes an inflatable helmet system with GPS learning of commuting patterns, rear safety sensors (camera or radar), a 3-wheel design for stability, and an electronic control module with human-machine interface. The helmet tracks usage to manage gas pack replacement for the inflation mechanism.

How does it integrate with existing public transport systems?

The scooter was designed with foldability and modularity as core features, specifically to be carried onto buses and trains. The project also developed new business models for win-win integration between micro-mobility and traditional public transport operators in both urban and suburban areas.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a strongly industry-driven consortium with 8 out of 10 partners (80%) from the private sector, including 3 SMEs. The coordinator, Dumarey Automotive Italia, is a sizeable Italian automotive company — not an SME — which signals serious manufacturing capability. The 6-country spread (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Slovenia) covers major European automotive and mobility markets. Key technical partners include Bumpair for safety equipment, Elaphe and Domel for in-wheel motors — each bringing existing commercial products to the project. With only 1 university partner and no pure research organizations, this consortium was configured to build and sell, not just study.

DUMAREY AUTOMOTIVE ITALIA SPACoordinator · IT
5T SRLparticipant · IT
ELAPHE POGONSKE TEHNOLOGIJE DOOparticipant · SI
TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING S.A.participant · BE
THREE O'CLOCKparticipant · FR
DOMEL ELEKTROMOTORJI IN GOSPODINJSKI APARATI D.O.O.participant · SI
ICLEI EUROPEAN SECRETARIAT GMBH (ICLEI EUROPASEKRETARIAT GMBH)participant · DE
GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE

How to reach the team

Dumarey Automotive Italia SPA (Italy) — reach out to their business development or innovation team for licensing and partnership inquiries.

Order a report on this consortium See DUMAREY AUTOMOTIVE ITALIA SPA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the DREEM team for licensing, manufacturing partnership, or fleet integration? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right people in the consortium.

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