Our new interview series – 'in conversation with' Fabrice Furlan, Founder of Plume and Antoine Chastan, Co-founder of Tweener
_ BRAND STORY
‘In conversation with’ is a new interview series, in which we have two guests – either who have worked on the same project or from unrelated companies but working in the same field. In our first episode we introduce you Fabrice Furlan, founder and CEO of Plume and Antoine Chastan, co-founder of Tweener, a French-based design agency that worked collaboratively on the design of Plume’s electric scooter. So let’s get started and let us learn more about Fabrice and Antoine.
Fabrice: What was your intention to found the brand Plume?
“Since several years, the daily mobility for many people continues to be strong and more and more difficult. We know public transport, walking and free-floating micro-mobility is not sufficient to be a car alternative on high density cities. In parallel, the light electric vehicles need to be more secured in order to be seen and cohabit better safe on the traffic with others vehicles. All of this is the best context to invent a new brand that is more responsible and gives a new answer to the challenges of our cities.”
Fabrice: Micro-mobility is booming. What sets Plume apart from other e-scooter brands?
“The singularity of Plume is based on three pillars, which are: reliable, safe and reparable. We use raw materials adapted for a strong daily use. We started by a hyper visibility in order to be seen, to see and to permit to move safe. All components can be changed (e.g. the battery is reparable) and several others can be changed by the user itself with the help of Plume. The device is also connected to give a diagnostic and informations to the user. All of this is capitalised on a health book, which follows the vehicle along his life. This is completed by technical specifications (motor, battery capacity) to give more comfort and autonomy.”
Fabrice: Your e-scooter Plume Allure stands out with its minimal, aesthetically-pleasing design. You have teamed up with design agency Tweener. What was the decision for that?
“Tweener is an agency that integrates design (aesthetic of the term), mechanical conception and metal-plastic process mastered. Their experiences on several products enrich their skills and mindset. Tweener is for me a team rich of talents. First of all, it is a story of women and men.“
Antoine: You are the co-founder of Tweener, a design and engineering agency based in France. What makes Tweener so special?
“Our purpose is to design solutions that are aesthetic, functional & sustainable. Adaptability and tailor-made solutions are key to provide the best possible solutions. We combine the expertise of designers and engineers to offer a complete solution from the idea to the industrial realisation. We believe that the best products are a result of close collaboration and alignment between these two complementary cultures.”
Antoine: Can you tell us how the collaboration with Plume looked like?
“It is difficult to distinguish the Plume team from the Tweener teams. We work together on a daily basis to develop the best possible solution. It makes us share the same vision and drives to move forward.”
Antoine: How is design driving the development of sustainable mobility solutions?
“It has become a priority of our jobs over time. Design helps us ask ourselves the right questions in terms of usage, construction, choice of materials, repairability and durability in particular. It reinforces our ability to combine multiple factors into well-balanced solutions. Design has the capability to transform ideas into tangible solutions, allowing the whole team to project themselves.”
Fabrice: Let’s look ahead. Where is Plume heading to in the next 5 years? Will the portfolio of products be extended?
“Plume Allure and the employees solutions is our start. The future of Plume will be enriched with personal e-bikes, logistic e-bikes and a totally new use product. We have a short offer logic with complementary products. We will continue to extend our vehicles to be even more connected with our app and services. Our goal is to make the daily moves more and more safe by different user benefits.”
Fabrice: In your opinion how will mobility look in 2030?
“Electric for sure. Certainly with hydrogen solutions. Probably hybrid. But I am convinced the mobility will be extended by several kind of vehicles, devices and services. The challenges of the authorities and industrials is to make mobility solutions seamless whatever choice of the daily user. I hope all can be rich in order to decongestion and decarbonate our transportation with a local logic. Each of us have a responsibility to make it the good way.”
Thank you Fabrice and Antoine for this great and inspiring conversation. Keep up the great work and we are looking forward to seeing where your companies are heading to in the future.
Picture 1: ellectric
Picture 2 – 6: Plume