Redhill Invention eFOLDi Wins British Inventors’ Project
eFOLDi is extremely versatile and can be easily folded up, used as a seat or put into scooter mode
Redhill, Surrey resident Sumi Wang has won the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live with eFOLDi, the world’s first fully collapsible electric scooter.
Announcing the winner was the Gadget Show presenter, Jason Bradbury, who is highly supportive of the eFOLDi innovation and tried the electric scooter for himself with great success.
As well as winning the coveted title of the British Inventors’ Project, eFOLDi have also won a stand at the 2017 Gadget Show Live and a cheque for £1,000 from the event organisers.
Sumi Wang said, “We are over the moon to win the British Inventors’ Project at Gadget Show Live. I must thank everyone involved in the project and Gadget Show Live. The other 19 inventions on show are fantastic, so this makes me feel very proud.
“We are extremely proud of eFOLDi and are thrilled with the amazing feedback we are receiving and now look forward Gadget Show Live 2017.”
In addition to winning the prize, Sumi also took the opportunity to launch the first Kickstarter campaign, which took place live at the event and was launched by Jason Bradbury and David McClelland, to raise investment for eFOLDi. Footage of the Kickstarter launch can be found here.
The goal is to raise £90,000, with which Sumi can get the first production run of eFOLDi under way. There is a range of different pledge values and rewards available, from £1 to £4,799, with eFOLDi itself starting at £699. Almost £32,000 has been pledged already.
The mobility device, which was designed in tandem by Sumi and her father - renowned Chinese engineer Jianmin Wang - will be launched globally later this year following the Kickstarter campaign. Jianmin Wang won the gold medal at the Beijing Invention Competition in 2015, an honour that was awarded by Chinese Vice-President Liu Yandong and Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong.
Jianmin Wang worked as Chief Engineer for China’s National Acrobatic Troupe for over 20 years, where he was responsible for devising the mechanisms behind many of the incredible stunts that have won the troupe international acclaim. His designs for performance and stage props have won numerous international circus competitions and awards.
In 2012, Jianmin Wang broke his leg and was unable to get around. This paved the way for the creation of eFOLDi, as Managing Director Sumi Wang explains:
“An inventor’s mind is always at work and when my father Jianmin broke his leg, he decided to design his own method of transport to get around.
“While there are a lot of electric scooters available, Jianmin realised that there were no effective folding scooters that could be easily packed away to take on public transport while also proving secure over rough ground.
“After some time in the workshop, the result is a scooter that weighs only 19kg, can carry an average-sized adult over 20km on a single charge and can be folded into an easily-transported piece of luggage. eFOLDi can be programmed with three different top speeds for different needs: 4mph if it is being used as an off road mobility aid, 8mph for mobility use on the road and 12.5mph for recreational use by normal road users.
"eFOLDi is extremely versatile and can be easily folded up, used as a seat or put into scooter mode. It also appeals to a wide range of people: commuters, those with limited mobility, festival goers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Sumi Wang recently won the grand prize of £5,000 at Surrey Entrepreneur Academy 2015, an event organised by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in partnership with East Surrey College. The money was awarded to allow Sumi to gain an international patent for eFOLDi.
A video of eFOLDi at Gadget Show Live can be found here: https://vimeo.com/161115383 .
Useful links:
eFOLDi website: http://www.efoldi.co.uk
eFOLDi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/efoldi_world
eFOLDi Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1726375706/810530758?to...
eFOLDi Kickstarter Launch Video: https://vimeo.com/161114216.
Gadget Show Live: http://www.gadgetshowlive.net
Surrey Entrepreneur Academy: http://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/info/20052/business_in_th...
ENDS
Images and high-resolution video footage are available on request.
For further information about Sumi Wang and eFOLDi please contact Kitty Robinson at kitty@famouspublicity.com or Tina Fotherby at tina@famouspublicity.com or please call 0333 344 2341 or 07703 409 622.
About eFOLDi:
eFOLDi was created by Chinese inventor and engineer Jianmin Wang and his daughter Sumi Wang in 2012, after he broke his leg and was unable to get around.
Sumi Wang, a British-Chinese engineer, saw the potential of eFOLDi and founded the company SunTech UK, which will bring eFOLDi to market.
Sumi has a background in engineering and business, and worked for leading names such as Cosco Shipping Co., Novo Nordisk, Black & Veatch and Queen Mary University of London before founding SunTech.