CAKE and the leading European energy company Vattenfall have joined forces, aiming to produce the world's cleanest motorcycle by 2025.
One bike built to change how all vehicles are made
We’re staring a climate emergency in the face. To avert it, we need to decarbonise every part of our society, and we need to act right now. Industry has a huge responsibility to lead the way to a fossil free society. That includes the automotive industry.
Going fossil free isn’t just about how vehicles are powered, it’s about removing carbon emissions from how they’re manufactured, transported and assembled – the entire production chain. So while electric vehicles are a good start, they don’t take us far enough.
To decarbonise industrial production chains, we need to rip up conventions, break down silos and collaborate far beyond industry borders. That’s why CAKE and Vattenfall teamed up in 2021, combining CAKE's expertise in product innovation with Vattenfall’s expertise in electrifying industries.
Our aim
To produce the world's cleanest motorcycle by 2025, making the entire production chain for the electric CAKE Kalk OR motorbike fossil-free (or as close to as possible). Without carbon offsetting, because we need to tackle the root cause, not compensate for it.
Our mission
To inspire industry and policy makers to act. So we’re being radically transparent about our journey, sharing every breakthrough and setback along the way, and open-sourcing our methodology. Because doing it ourselves is great, but inspiring others to do it is even better.
Our plan
To get started. This has never been done before, so when we started out, we didn’t know where we’d end up. But we knew we just needed to get moving – with conviction, openness and enthusiasm. Because we can’t wait until everything’s clear.
Explore the bike
This is a CAKE Kalk OR, a fully electric dirt bike. Emission free when used, like most products it still emits greenhouse gasses when produced. 1,186 kg of carbon dioxide, to be precise. Click on the white dots to explore different parts.
Footprint overview
29% Battery
27% Aluminium parts
9% Motor
7% Suspension
7% Brakes
7% Electronics
5% Controller
4% Steel parts
3% Plastic parts
1% Rubber parts
1% Others
The partners
Five official partners are currently in the project.
2021
Founding partner
Vattenfall
2021
Founding partner
CAKE
2022
Supplying partner
Öhlins
2023
Supplying partner
SKF
2023
Supplying partner
Hydro
The process
Our first action was to literally disassemble a Kalk OR, resulting in just north of 100 assembled components, which in turn are made up of +2000 smaller parts. Each of these parts have a history and more importantly, an environmental footprint.
On our journey towards zero we are reinventing the wheel, and the rest of this bike.
Visualizing the emissons
It takes a 8.6-meter cube to fit the total amount of carbon emissions currently created in the production of one CAKE Kalk OR – 637 cubic meters, equal to 1,186 KG CO2e.
We are working on shrinking the size of this cube to as close to zero as possible by 2025, part by part, centimeter by centimeter.
Recent updates
Öhlins aims for the world’s first zero-emission motorcycle suspension, following CAKE and Vattenfall’s initiative for fossil free production.
2022-11-03
Read moreSee all project updates here
Project Q&A
What is the goal of the project?
The goal is to manufacture the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever, meaning the cleanest motorcycle possible by 2025. But more importantly, we want to set a direction, inspire and provoke other industries to join the transition towards a fossil free society.
What do we mean by a fossil free vehicle?
A fossil free vehicle is a vehicle where every single component is sourced, produced, transported, and assembled without any fossil sources or fuels being used in the process.
This includes all the materials and parts of the Kalk OR such as Aluminum, Steel, Plastic, Rubber, Controller, Motor, Battery, Brakes, Suspension, Electronics.
How did we calculate the production emissions of the motorcycle?
We are using life cycle assessment to measure the footprint of all parts of the bike. At this point we have calculated an approximated footprint of 1,186 kg CO2e, and are now investigating how to get to zero, part by part. This is the total carbon footprint weight in kilograms of our testbed vehicle, the CAKE Kalk OR. From mine to finished product, it involves all materials processed, waste generated, energy and chemical consumed and every km of transportation involved.
Is it possible to build a fully fossil free vehicle by 2025?
Our aim is to make a zero emission dirt bike. We are fully committed to the process, but we are realistic about the fossil free solutions that we and the market can provide by 2025. With very strict rules for our calculations and by totally restricting any type of offsetting - reaching absolute zero is an impossible goal, as the solutions for a completely decarbonized supply chain will not be available in 2025. However we are sure we will have the cleanest vehicle possible to build by 2025. The project will continue its journey towards zero after 2025.
What difference does this project make?
This project aims to show that a more fossil free lifestyle is possible. We want to provoke change and inspire more companies and brands to innovate for zero emission products to decarbonize our society. We believe that we can set a new standard for what to expect from companies in sustainable thinking and climate action, not least when talking about zero emissions or fossil free. We will spread the findings and solutions to decarbonize the Kalk OR across industries and society for anyone to replicate, as materials such as plastic and aluminium are used and needed far beyond the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever.
Why do Vattenfall and CAKE collaborate in this project?
Both Vattenfall and CAKE are committed to lead the transition towards a fossil free society. Vattenfall’s goal is to enable fossil free living within one generation and power climate smarter living for all. CAKE´s purpose is to inspire people, contributing to speeding up the journey towards zero emissions through a combination of excitement and responsibility.
What is Vattenfall's role in this project?
With electricity as a source of innovation, an energy company with experience of decarbonising industries is a logical and key partner to the project. Vattenfall has experience creating large scale fossil free solutions bringing knowledge and scale into the project.
Is CAKE developing a new vehicle?
No. CAKE and Vattenfall are aiming to make CAKE’s electrical motorcycle Kalk OR emissions free by eliminating emissions from the production phase. We are not redesigning the bike as a starting point, but may tweak various parts of the bike to meet quality standards and durability of new, non fossil or recycled materials.
Will you be able to buy the bike in 2025?
Yes, our aim is to produce a commercial product. We are on a journey towards the cleanest dirt bike ever that should be ready for small initial series production in 2025.
How will the project handle End-of-Life of the bike?
End-of-life phase is not the core focus of the project, as the project focuses on the manufacturing phase of the bike which stands for the majority of the total footprint . The end-of-life for the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever will refer to CAKE´s regular end-of-life strategy at 2025. As all CAKE bikes have a modular design in place, the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever is likely to have a high recyclability rate.
Where can I follow the project?
www.cleanestdirtbikeever.com
I have a solution on how to reduce the CO2e footprint of the bike, who do I talk to?
cdbe@ridecake.com
I have more questions, who do I contact?
cdbe@ridecake.com