Nova — Urban Commuter Ebike

Nova was designed as a premium urban commuter ebike — clean, integrated, and built for the daily rider who doesn't want to compromise on design just because the bike needs to be practical. The brief had a specific structural challenge: two distinct configurations of the same underlying platform, each serving a defined use case, both taken through to physical prototype. Building one prototype is a development project. Building two configurations of the same platform simultaneously is a product strategy exercise.

ZÆT led the full design and engineering process across both variants. The industrial design established a shared visual language — a clean urban aesthetic with fully integrated battery and motor, resolving the lighting, rack, and accessory mount interfaces in a way that works across both configurations without visual compromise. Engineering was developed in parallel for both variants, with component interfaces, frame geometry, and drivetrain specification aligned to each configuration's use case.

Physical prototypes were built and validated for both configurations — ride testing, structural assessment, and component integration confirmed in both variants before the engineering documentation was finalised.