I first read this as “plastic engine” and thought we’d reach peak automotive engineer thinking.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2026
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micromobility - Bikes, scooters, boards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility
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Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles, heelies, or an office chair: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!
"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.
micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"
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A fully plastic ICE engine would be ridiculous. I can't imagine what that'd take to pull off. Probably some sort of nanotech shenanigans, but at that point could it still be considered plastic?
PEEK polymer engine block maybe? Should be able to take around 260°C continuously.
But can it handle heat and high pressure and vibrations?
Only one way to find out!
I don't suppose the material manufacturers were kind enough to give a graph that describes yield strength versus temperature...?
Lighter, cheaper ebikes with smaller motors? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Its Low voltage so pumps might be more feasible
Cheap functional lightweight TPM sounds nice to me!
Drone motors.
I've seen drone motors used to power a bicycle.
Actually shockingly effective for their small size, but they require a lot of gear reduction ... and most importantly, they require a lot of cooling.