Bo, maker and developer of the world’s safest and stylish urban micro-mobility vehicle, announces its first international expansion into Ireland, one of Europe’s most progressive transport nations with Lifty Electrics confirmed as the official Dublin based retailer and service centre.
Bo co-founder and CEO Oscar Morgan said; “Whilst the UK sadly lags behind much of the world in legalising the use of e-Scooters on the public roads, Ireland has taken that exciting first step in embracing a new era in how we travel through cities such as Dublin.”
He continued: “Since Ireland announced the legalisation of e-Scooters back in May 2024 we have been making regular visits to meet riders in Dublin and Cork. With production of the Bo M now in full flow, we are excited to announce Dublin as our first direct expansion into an international market.”
In 2024, the Irish Government cemented Dublin’s status as a hub for progressive transport solutions, making it the ideal first international market for Bo’s expansion. The passing of The Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 created a new vehicle class for e-scooters called powered personal transporters and legalised their use on public roads from the 20th May 2024. Dublin was carefully selected for Bo’s expansion due to the city’s forward-thinking urban mobility strategies, including efforts to reduce car use, the recent legalisation of electric scooters, and its extensive bike lane infrastructure.
The Irish National Transport Authority has, however, just introduced legislation restricting e-scooters from public transport, applying brakes to the wider sector, but not for the bo M which is designed for end to end journeys, with it’s exceptional riding dynamics, extended range, and lifestyle enhancing features, like Lock and Load.
Bo exists to create the single best way to travel in the city. Over the past four years, the Bo M has been painstakingly designed and engineered to reach this ambition.
Bo was founded by two engineers, formerly of Williams F1 Advanced Engineering, and a Jaguar Land Rover designer, giving the company a fundamental understanding of vehicle dynamics and manufacturing, which has been uniquely applied to the Bo M, the first product in a transformative range of Bo lightweight electric vehicles.
The Bo M showcases a ground-up focus on robust and intuitive features, designed in order to improve every urban journey. It utilises the ultra-tough fixed Monocurve Chassis and the unique patented Bo SafesteerTM technology to create a confidence-inspiring ride, combined with category-leading motor torque and power ratings, plus novel functional innovations to deliver the most sophisticated urban riding experience of its kind.
Monocurve Chassis and Design
Bo’s unique Monocurve chassis represents a foundational shift in vehicle design and engineering – the single greatest sector advancement since electric scooters arrived in our cities. The Monocurve chassis is a single piece of high strength Aluminium, from the handlebars to the wheels, which not only benefits the ride by providing the most solid and planted ride feeling in its class, but also seamlessly integrates all of the features into a singular beautiful form.
These intuitive, unbroken lines of the Monocurve chassis create the first unibody structure in this sector, designed to true automotive principles, seamlessly combining function with design. The design allows for the steering to be separated from the chassis, forming a robust mounting point for the Lock and Load cargo solution whilst also providing a stable platform for Bo riders.
Bo co-founder and CTO Harry Wills, said; “We want to make wobbly e-scooters a thing of the past so intentionally designed the Bo M with an unbroken Monocurve unibody chassis to provide the most robust, confidence-inspiring ride experience possible. We’ve equipped the M with technology we have developed from the ground up that truly enhances the urban riding experience, day or night, rain or shine, hilly or flat. From the occasional rider who needs to nip into town, to the super commuter riding 30km everyday, the Bo M establishes itself as the most dependable, mature urban vehicle.“
The precision engineering approach is equally evident on the Bo M’s geometry, which is optimised for stability and ergonomics. Technical features include a wider handlebar at 580mm, a generous 930mm wheelbase for noticeably more standing room and relaxed riding handling, and a 76-degree steering angle for naturally controlled dynamics.
Bo co-founder and CCO, Luke Robus said; “We believe in the pursuit of simplicity. Form working in harmony with function to create sculptural lines that are as exciting to ride as they are to look at. From the early sketches to prototypes and through to the production vehicles, the M’s lines come together without complication. This is testament to the rigorousness of our first-class engineering team integrating all the technology we’ve packed into the M. Never cluttering, or getting in the way of the product’s purpose, instead celebrating this new found simplicity with a design language you’ll see in evidence across the range of lightweight EVs we have planned for the future.”
Bo SafesteerTM
SafesteerTM technology is a world-first in micro-mobility vehicles, a dynamic steering stabilisation system developed by Bo to set the benchmark for control and inspire rider confidence. This patented technology, fully integrated within the Bo chassis, assists and stabilises the steering through bumps, dips and potholes to keep the rider in perfect comfort and control. Novice and experienced riders often cite stability as their primary concern when riding over mixed terrain. Bo’s Safesteer
technology gives a seamless, stable ride and builds confidence at every turn, allowing everyone to enjoy the ride and carve down the road.
SafesteerTM delivers the smoothest and most stable ride while at the same time achieving a new benchmark in mechanical simplicity and reliability. The system is based on opposing force from a pair of bespoke wound torsion springs, housed within a unique Bo mechanism that delivers predictable steering correction up to a 50 degree turn angle. This system works to recreate the natural centering dynamic of a larger wheel and smooth the ride to give Bo riders an exceptional, natural riding experience every time.
All-Weather Capable
Bo M is designed to be our riders’ go to urban vehicle no matter the weather or time of day. The electrical components throughout are a minimum of IP66 waterproof while the high quality pneumatic tyres ensure the maximum grip possible. Bo M features a powerful, low maintenance braking system, with a regenerative e-brake located in the rear wheel, controlled by the left brake lever, adding energy back into the battery under braking and a front sealed drum brake controlled by the right brake lever. The two brake levers give the rider highly intuitive control over which brake to use and when, depending on the situation and the desired feel.
Bo’s distinctive Daytime Running Light (DRL) wraps around the Monocurve chassis to create the Light Halo, a world-first in the sector, which delivers 270-degree light visibility. This signature design dramatically increases road presence and awareness from other road users by ensuring both the Bo M and rider are visible from every angle. Complementing the Light Halo, a powerful headlight with up to 800 lumens from three temperature-controlled LED lights housed in an aluminium enclosure, illuminates the road ahead, while a wide-angle high-lumen rear light keeps riders visible from behind in all weathers, flashing brightly under braking.
Performance
Showcasing a blend of performance and elegance, the Bo powertrain features a high torque motor (38Nm), providing a peak power output of 1,200W and a top speed of up to 35 km/h (21 mph) (limited to 20 km/h for Irish compliance), with a battery capacity of 672Wh delivering a range of 50km. The Bo team is based out of Bristol, a famously hilly city in the UK, and ensuring impressive hill-climbing performance was a core requirement of the powertrain development programme.
The bespoke high current electric motor has been optimised for strongest mid-range torque, maximising efficiency across the broadest rpm-range possible, and the precision throttle map allows for excellent control of output of power and responsiveness. Tested on hills up to 25 degrees, this performance specification results in silent, controllable acceleration, with the necessary power to take on the most challenging of roads.
Lock and Load
Bo’s all new Lock and Load system is incorporated within the Monocurve Chassis and features dual purpose revolving hooks that act as both secure locking points for the vehicle as well as stable cargo carrying solution. With the hooks mounted through the core structure of the chassis, cargo of up to 10kg can be securely carried, negating the need to hang anything on the handlebars or risking bag swing disrupting the steering, increasing the safety, control and comfort of each ride. The forged hooks are at the optimal height for locking to bike racks or railings, enhancing the physical security when locking up in town.
Airdeck
Introducing an intelligent, lightweight and invisible comfort system, the Airdeck, an engineered elastomer footpad, has been created from 11mm EVA anti-vibration foam based on the same material technology found in high performance running trainers. The lightweight deck panel is tuned to reduce road vibrations, removing the need for complex, heavy and largely ineffective suspension systems and increasing the riders comfort on longer rides by isolating the feet from any vibrations that result from the road surface.
Pricing and Availability
Customers can order the Bo M from https://bo.world/pages/select-your-bo starting Wednesday 16th October and in-store at Lifty Electrics, 157 Capel St, Dublin. The Bo M is available in silver for €2,349.
Additional details can be found at https://bo.world/pages/bo-m
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A podcast with Bo co-founder and CEO Oscar Morgan will be published this Friday.
