LAVOIE: MCLAREN APPLIED’S NEW MICRO MOBILITY COMPANY REDEFINING URBAN MOBILITY THROUGH MOTORSPORT AND LUXURY AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
LAVOIE, a subsidiary of McLaren Applied, introduces the Series 1 electric scooter – created using supercar and cutting-edge global racing engineering excellence.
McLaren Applied’s LAVOIE is committed to improving personal mobility. Combining its heritage in premium automotive and motorsport with the best talent from the fields of engineering and science, LAVOIE re-imagines products you can trust will improve personal transportation and add enjoyment to every journey.
Operating at the intersection between high-end design and superlative performance, LAVOIE is set to redefine urban mobility and become a major global player in the premium e-mobility market.
As the urban environment increasingly densifies, cars and mass transport are becoming irrelevant as a means of mobility for those who want to travel quickly, cleanly, and efficiently. The era of electrified micro-mobility is dawning, yet consumers seeking mobility solutions which make them feel good, as well as offer optimum performance, design, and build quality, are bereft of choice. Until LAVOIE.
THE LAVOIE SERIES 1: AS FUNCTIONAL AS IT IS BEAUTIFUL
The Series 1 is an e-scooter, but like none ever seen before, thanks to LAVOIE’s user-centric design strategy. Its speed, supercar-standard quality, robustness, stability, safety, and range are designed to make public transport an irrelevance to owners.
Perhaps its most defining and iconic feature is LAVOIE’s patented one-touch Flowfold™ system. Designed with rider convenience at the forefront and inspired by the suspension system found on racing machines at the pinnacle of motorsport, a single press of a button folds the front and rear wheel hinges and collapses the stem, achieving the greatest possible reduction in size while maintaining a large and stable deck for when in use. Assets of the LAVOIE Series 1 can be downloaded here.
Complementing the Flowfold™ system’s amazing foldability is the fact that the Series 1 is made of automotive-standard magnesium, ensuring a total weight of just 16.5kg. Carrying it into offices, meetings, and homes is simple and easy, eliminating concerns of theft and adding convenience to every journey.
A two-hour charge on a domestic three-pin plug offers up to 31 miles of range. The Series 1 rolls on large and wide tyres developed to absorb and withstand potholes and bumps.
As important to LAVOIE as state-of-the-art design and intuitive usability is rider safety. LAVOIE’s ground-breaking lighting system uses rear lights to illuminate the rider, bathing them in a pool of light to ensure they are easily seen by other traffic and pedestrians. The stylish front lighting system illuminates the road ahead, while floodlights on the side of the deck magnify the real estate of the e-scooter on the road and make it more visible for other vehicles. The Series 1 also features indicators which are activated from the ergonomically designed handlebars.
Via a bespoke app riders can track the precise location of their Series 1, as well as activate a loud deterrent alarm. The app also enables integrated turn by turn navigation, as well as in-depth stats and ride customisation. The Series 1’s connectivity stretches beyond theft security and riding performance – the app remotely informs the LAVOIE support team of any electronic faults or issues and will notify the owner immediately, activating the necessary steps to resolve the issue.
LAVOIE’s Series 1 is by any standards an amazing looking piece of engineering with outstanding performance to match.
LAVOIE’S DREAM TEAM
Among the many key factors setting LAVOIE apart is its dream team of experts from the worlds of global motorsport, premium automotive, aerospace engineering and luxury design.
LAVOIE’s powerhouse of talent enables it to think and work in ways others can’t, exemplified by the never-seen-before innovations and features of the Series 1 – the first of many personal mobility solutions to come from LAVOIE.
The Series 1 is born from McLaren Applied’s pioneering innovation in motorsport and electrification, ensuring it has been engineered and built to the same high standards as a supercar and infused with technology inspired by cutting-edge motorsport machines. But to create an e-scooter that also sets new standards of rider-first functionality and beautiful design required expertise from the micro-mobility field.
Enter McLaren Applied chairman Nick Fry, whose spectacular motorsport career includes multiple Drivers and Constructors Championships in Formula 1. Nick is the former co-owner and CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, and it was under his leadership that Honda secured its first Grand Prix win with Jenson Button in Hungary in 2006.
It was Nick who found the final piece of the puzzle; LAVOIE co-founders Eliott Wertheimer and Albert Nassar.
McLaren Applied chairman Nick Fry said: “To make this project a reality I wanted to find the very best talent from the world of micro-mobility, and that’s what led me to Eliott and Albert. They possess a prodigal talent for engineering and design. This, combined with their passion for creating smart, sustainable mobility solutions, makes them the perfect fit for McLaren Applied. Together we have created something truly game-changing in the Series 1.”
Eliott and Albert met at university and immediately bonded over their passion for mobility and engineering. Applying their backgrounds in aerospace and mechanical engineering, they went on to develop a series of e-scooters and e-bikes, gaining invaluable experience and understanding of how to exploit state-of-the-art technologies to enhance the riding and ownership experience of personal electric vehicles.
Crucially, they shared Nick’s vision for both LAVOIE and the Series 1: to create an e-scooter which was highly desirable but compromised in no way on performance or functionality.
LAVOIE co-founder Eliott Wertheimer said: “We wanted to make a vehicle that’s reliable, faultlessly functional, powerful, stylish, full of state-of-the-art technology – and built the way you would a car or a motorcycle. We knew we could do this by combining our own expertise and experience with a company that operates at the highest level in the fields of automotive, motorsport and electronics.”
Joining LAVOIE on its journey from the very beginning is automotive design legend Ian Callum. Through his design house CALLUM, Ian and his team have helped create the colour schemes of the Series 1 and will play a major part in the design of future LAVOIE products.
Richard Clarke is a Principal Mechanical Engineer at McLaren Applied and another key player in the LAVOIE mission. He brings with him years of experience in the hyper-focussed world of Formula 1 engineering, including being an integral part of the Red Bull Racing Aerodynamics team, where he focused on developing aerodynamic suspension components. Richard’s skills in finding solutions to complex mechanical and engineering challenges have enabled LAVOIE to defy the limits of what was thought possible from an e-scooter.
Working closely with Richard is a vast team of experienced engineers at McLaren Applied, as well as LAVOIE’s Senior Design Engineer, Diego Valdes. Diego’s 12 years of experience in luxury aerospace design – which included designing bespoke interiors for Gulfstream, LearJet and Bombardier private jets – ensures each of LAVOIE’s products is developed with the most rigorous and cutting-edge engineering design processes.
Full details of the LAVOIE Series1 will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Ends
ABOUT LAVOIE
McLaren Applied’ s LAVOIE is totally committed to improving personal mobility. Using its heritage in premium automotive, combined with strong pedigrees in engineering and science, LAVOIE re-imagines products you can trust will improve personal transportation and add enjoyment to every journey.
Operating at the intersection between high-end design and superlative performance, LAVOIE is set to redefine urban mobility and become a major global player in the premium e-mobility market.
