Back to the Future: AKO Trike x PANDO MOTO

PANDO MOTO was born out of a wild idea, and years later, our CEO Marius remains as wild as ever going on motorcycle adventures around the world and testing custom-built machines that are about to become the next thing. So it surprised exactly no one when one day, he turned up on an AKO Trike, a futuristic three-wheeler powered by a battery pack and boasting a design so innovative it left us all speechless.

„It just goes to show that you don’t need a big machine to have a ridiculous amount of fun”, Marius said, stepping off the trike. “I love the idea. AKO is incredibly nimble, the acceleration is there, the braking feels smooth, and, unlike on a bike, you’re not feeling the cold! It’s so much fun, it’s green, and it’s got my attention”.

AKO Trike first appeared in 2007 as a concept, and in 2018, the AKO team built the first prototype. As the creators explain, the AKO is an ‘electric leaning inverse three-wheeler’. In other words, it looks like a tiny car and motorcycle hybrid but leans into corners just like a bike. According to the designers of AKO, “the concept of this trike was to make the riding experience as natural as possible, while at the same time, extraordinary”.

The extraordinary comes in heaps and bounds: first off, the AKO rides more like a motorcycle than a trike, leaning into corners like nobody’s business. With a target range of 300km, powered by a 24kWh battery pack and the peak power output of up to 200kW, this nifty little machine feels a little like a small airplane – designed for a smooth ride, the AKO gives a feeling of floating on a magic carpet. To add to the unique feel, it’s green – but not just because of the battery power. “Sustainability is not about being electric anymore. It’s the combination of the trike’s lean size, seats-to-weight ratio, and the maneuverability in traffic, which makes the trike a much more sustainable substitute for a regular car”, the creators explain.

Not everyone may be willing to swap the braap for the electric woosh just yet, but would the AKO trike work as a small and eco-friendly commuter that just happens to deliver a serious amount of fun while riding? It’s a yes from us.