Ultium Lift
Smarter charging
Effortless storage
Status at a glance
Purpose
Mixed mode transit is the future of mobility. General Motors provided the prompt to envision the garage of the future, and I sought an opportunity to challenge car-centric culture.
Product
Ultium Lift is an electric bike charging station for the suburban home, powered by General Motors. Designed to encourage more sustainable transit, Ultium Lift makes electric bike ownership elevated and desirable.
Streamlined storage and status at a glance make electric bike ownership easier than owning a car. E-bikes are significantly heavier than traditional bikes, so an automated lift system makes storage effortless while doubling as a mantel for a prized possession.
The Ultium Lift app seals the deal with smart charging features like AutoCharge and Battery-to-Grid charging. Using these features, Ultium Lift can contribute significantly to the electrified home and lead owners into the energy transition.
Process
"Design the garage of the future."
General Motors provided the brief to design a new garage technology using their Ultium platform, an branding umbrella for their entire electrification ecosystem.
Distilling a wide variety of concepts, I arrived at four distinct directions that could represent completely new product categories for GM. While evaluating each idea, I realized one concept stood out from the others for its greater implications: an electric bike charger.
Electric bikes are significantly more common in urban areas compared to suburban areas, even though the average trip is only slightly longer. Having personal experience with the car-centric culture of the suburbs, I wanted to look for a way to encourage the use of a lower energy-intensive mode of transit.
A full scale cardboard prototype helped me evaluate the placement of touchpoints, overall sizing, and interactions with the concept.
