European energy giant Vattenfall and Swedish electric bike manufacturer Cake have teamed up to build an entirely "fossil-free" electric motorcycle using an innovative production process that will deliver "the cleanest dirt bike ever."
The companies said they plan to use the project to highlight the climate impact of producing one of Cake's Kalk OR electric off-roaders by presenting it in an 8.6 meter cube — creating a space equivalent to the CO2 emissions the bike will save.
According to the companies, the 8.6-meter cube reflects the volume of carbon emissions emitted during the production process, which comes to 637 cubic meters, equal to 1,186 kilograms of carbon dioxide, or the same amount of emissions produced from someone taking a flight from London to New York and back twice.
In order to make the bike "fossil-free," the companies said that they are exploring the use of alternative materials such as green aluminum, steel, plastic and rubber, as well as looking at how they can reduce the carbon emissions of the bike's motor, battery, brakes, suspension and electronics.
Stefan Ytterborn, chief executive and founder at Cake, described "fossil-free" as a production process that has been fully decarbonized, regardless of the fuel that the bike will be running on.
"It's unlikely that many companies are aware of the carbon footprint of their own products," he said. "To understand and tackle our own impact, we have measured the emissions from our entire production chain for one Cake Kalk OR and started to decarbonize every step to a minimum by 2025. By doing so, our second most important contribution to the planet is to inspire other manufacturers to step up and do the same."
Annika Ramsköld, head of corporate sustainability at Vattenfall, added that the partnership was in support of Vattenfall's vision to enable fossil-free living within one generation, as well as showcasing its dedication to new partnerships that "inspire and break barriers."
"This is one such project where our main contribution is the broad knowledge in fossil free solutions and electrification of industries we have acquired over decades from our own as well as other industries," she said.
The partners said that they have been collaborating on the project since 2021 with a view to producing the first "fossil free" off-roader by 2025. They added that they have also been working with a consortium comprising Cake's existing suppliers, as well as a number of innovative makers of alternative components and materials, which the companies said they hoped would offer the possibility of further emissions reductions.
