How Tarform is Creating a New Breed of Electric Motorcycles: Stylish, Sustainable and Built to Last

Taras, welcome. Please tell us a little about your journey to come up with Tarform in the first place?

I have spent a good amount of time working in a range of design disciplines from product design, technology and brand development.  As a way to disconnect, I spent weekdays and weekends working on vintage motorcycles at my shop in Brooklyn. There was something captivating about these machines - technical innovation to art and design, pursuit of speed and a sense of freedom.

There are a number of challenges that we face as a society. Carbon emissions are on the rise and our cities are congested. I wanted to contribute from another perspective by creating a mobility company that approaches movement in a slightly different way.

How do you describe your company?

Tarform means “taking shape” in Swedish, something that is in a state of evolution and motion. It felt like an appropriate name that also serves as a reminder that everything is in a state of transition from one form to another.

Riding provides one of the most powerful human experiences. We want to serve as a reminder of that experience but in a beautiful and sustainable way.

The supercool design of Tarform is one that turns a lot of heads. You are making ‘good’ look ‘cool’! Was that a conscious decision?

When I started my career in design 20 years ago, design was considered something superficial that merely defined the look and feel of a product. Today, design is magic that can create a meaningful connection with the user. But I believe it can also serve a bigger purpose.

I am fascinated by the philosophy behind Tarform in terms of its approach to nature and sustainability. Could you please articulate your approach?

Mobility is an integral part of modern civilization, we have developed modes of transportation that takes us all over the world. During that process, we created multiple by-products that are destructive to us and our ecology. 

As a company that builds physical things,

where they come from, who makes them and what happens to them at the end of life. Only then we can make the most informed decisions on how to build our vehicles. We have a long way to go to truly become sustainable as the industry is in it’s early days to adopt ethical and responsible ways of making products.

I believe it is important for all companies to consciously choose to move away from outdated industry standards that no longer serve us and have the courage to try new materials. I believe that the consumer has the right to know what goes into the creation of the product they wear or use so that they can choose for themselves.

What has been the reaction so far to your products? What are your upcoming launches?

The first vehicle we released was the Tarform Luna Scrambler that is suited for both trails and city riding. To show the versatility of the Tarform platform, we are excited to release this week the Tarform Luna Racer which has it’s heritage in a counterculture that was born around London in the 60’s. That era is defined by rock’n’roll, rebellion and possibility. The spirit and passion these machines have inspired in films, fashion and popular culture would make the motorcycle one of the most powerful icons of modern culture.

It pays an homage to the hopeful future ahead and captures some of the aesthetics of the past while embracing the future. We hope to get new generations inspired by clean mobility and revive the cult status of the motorcycle.

What are your plans for future growth? How do you see the potential for this market?

I believe that the future of mobility is not about a specific mode of transportation, but rather an eco-system with a wide range of vehicles adopted for multiple ways of moving.

We live on a planet with finite resources, but we don’t take responsibility to what happens to products after they stop serving us. Waste is just resources that are being stored in the wrong place. So much of our electronic waste ends up on landfills that are out of sight, that are now resurfacing in places we did not expect.

There are a number of solutions that are within reach and steps to take towards a circular economy. The easiest is to begin paying attention to the products we choose to surround ourselves with and for the companies to be honest in the way these products are made.

There are trends around impact transparency and its effect on capitalism. To date, there has been no way to measure the impact a company had on the environment and people and was purely focused on generating profit. Now, there are other metrics that are more important that we have to embrace and measure to create a positive impact on people and our planet.