Spacebar
Another oddball urban scooter from Jakarta based design studio Katalis dropped overnight.
Produced in conjunction with fellow Indonesian designer Sulaiman Said who goes by the name Kamengski, this electric scooter is dubbed ‘Spacebar’.
Using much of the same design language that debuted in the Katalis EV.500 and EV.1000, ‘Spacebar’ ups the power stakes to 1200w.
When asked why the scooter was named Spacebar, Head of Strategy of Katalis, Joseph Sinaga explains, that the electric scooter is hoped to be able to open up spaces which was previously not reachable by riders.
“For example when we are typing on a computer or laptop, the way we open up space in between texts is by pressing the spacebar. That is what inspired us. It also explains why the scooter is shaped like a rectangle,” adds Joseph.
Principal Designer of Katalis, Julian Palapa, adds that although dimensionally it is quite tiny, Spacebar is equipped with 1200w of power.
“We designed Spacebar specifically for youngsters who desire agility in their daily activities. Then after brainstorming with Said (Kamengski’s real name), together we created a visual concept suitable for Generation-Z,” he explained.
Everything from the full aluminium body, to the various visual accents, decal and body colour, as well as the material and colour of the scooter seat, was carefully handpicked collaboratively by Katalis and Kamengski.
The 33 year old designer was quite satisfied with the final product. “It really is amazing, I don’t know how to put it into words. Personally, I wanted to collaborate with Katalis because they have unique designs and have gone international. Through Spacebar, we proved that collaboration is certainly more fun than competition,” says Said.
The production process of this scooter was also quite unique, it was done from two different cities.
“Joseph and I, along with one of our designers, Kemal, worked on the design while working on a construction project at a mining site in West Sumbawa. Simultaneously, the scooter was built by Fathur, our engineer in a workshop in Jakarta, under the monitoring of Said who was also in Jakarta,” explains Julian.
Joseph claims that the collaborative release with Kamengski will be one of many intended for Spacebar.
“Others have also expressed interest in creating a visual concept for Spacebar in the future. However, currently we are focusing on this valuable collaboration with Kamengski. We are certain that there will be more interesting ideas from Said which we can work together on in the future,” adds Joseph.
The oddball looks could catch on. Reckon we might see gangs roaming Aussie city streets on such scooters…? Personally, anything that gets more people on two wheels should be applauded and if this takes off, good on them.
