The UK Startup Developing the World's 'Safest and Most Stylish' E-Scooter - Oscar Morgan, CEO and Co-founder of Bo

The UK's Bo has developed what it calls the world's safest e-scooter called the Bo M. The startup has opted for nimble, small wheels coupled with some clever engineering to deliver a lightweight e-scooter. 

However, Bo has picked a difficult time to launch with the business failures of the likes of Vanmoof, Bird and Superpedestrian in 2023.

"It is easy to forget that we are still in the early days of electrification, and many of the companies in the field are not yet profitable. An unprofitable company is a vulnerable company. 2023 saw a reduction in investment to new and high risk ventures as the chaos of COVID stimulus programmes worked its way through the system," Oscar Morgan, CEO and Co-founder of Bo, tells Auto Futures.

"A narrative existed through 2023 that the economy was slowing, which does not encourage consumers to experiment with new (and expensive) modes of transport. This created a double pinch: reduced investment on one side, and reduced purchasing on the other," he explains.

"E-mobility caught a cold on the back of these wider economic movements, which also led to a reduction in investment and a small reduction in demand to lightweight electric vehicles like e-scooters and e-bikes."

Morgan remains optimistic that the challenges currently facing the sectror can and will be overcome.

"The greatest advantage of electrified powertrains is they provide super dense power. A motor the size of a brick can create more power than an internal combustion engine the size of a suitcase. The most precious resource in our cities is space, so these vehicles will naturally rise to the top."

"It also helps that electric vehicles, especially lightweight vehicles like e-bikes and e-scooters, do not emit gasses poisonous to humans, or noise that can affect people’s mental health. Since cities are inevitably full of humans, and we all want to be as healthy as possible, this is very positive, and positions EVs to win by default," he adds.

Creating A Community

Founded in 2019 by former Williams F1 Advanced Engineering and Jaguar Land Rover designers, Bo is looking to differentiate itself with next generation technology, and high levels of engagement with its customers.

One of its most interesting pieces of technology is Safesteer, a mechanical mechanism that sits in the steerer where it stabilises the front wheel and increases rider safety. The technology stabilises and smoothes the steering across bumps, dips and potholes.

The Bo M offers a top speed of 35 km/h, and a battery capacity of 655Wh delivering a range of 50km. 

In a press release, Morgan states: “We spent 3 years developing the Bo M for everyone who can see the potential of the e-scooter, but who finds today’s scooters too unsafe, impractical for daily use, or simply not well designed, Our mission has been to develop game-changing features and safety enhancements such as Safesteer, whilst using our experience in automotive design to build a scooter people feel proud to own and ride."

The company has also developed Bo Energy, which combines vertical solar, battery storage with a vehicle security system. It offers 2kWh of battery storage and up to 120 watts of solar generation. 

"One of the areas we obsess over at Bo is the steps to create a ‘community’ rather than an ‘audience’. As we grow through 2024 this is an area we hope to get right: engaging with people in a way that makes them part of our story and journey, rather than just consumers of our product. We are working to recreate ‘car-culture’ for this new vehicle sector," says Morgan.

The Future...Is Incredibly Exciting

Finally, we asked Morgan for his forecasts for the year ahead.

"2024 is going to see the current trickle of Chinese models entering the e-mobility space turn into a flood. It is going to be terrifying and dramatic for the Western companies and brands already working to survive this transition. The car companies in China have been incentivised for almost a decade to invest in improving the quality of their ‘New Energy’ vehicles, and that work is starting to show," he says.

"We predict that 2024 will finally be the year that UK government takes the courageous step of legalising the electric scooter for consumer ownership and riding on UK roads. If we do this, it will avoid us being left behind the rest of the world and will increase the quality of life for millions of commuters in this country and the tens of millions of people who live in the cities they commute through."

"Every journey completed on an electric scooter immediately reduces the pollution, noise and danger on our roads - an incredibly exciting e-mobility future is coming," concludes Morgan.