Making MIMO has been one of the bravest — and scariest — things I have ever attempted.
That title photograph you see? It’s the third prototype and a pitch deck slide I put together back in 2019. But the idea itself goes much further back — to my university days in 2006.
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Back then, I was a student with very little money and one simple habit: I cycled everywhere saving from taking public transport. Every day, I rode to and from university. Over six years of national service and university life, I clocked more than 20,000 kilometres on two wheels.
Living in Singapore, public transport was — and still is — incredibly good compares to many cities in the world. But I always felt there was a missing link. I didn’t want to choose between cycling or taking the train. I wanted a way to combine both — a personal vehicle that worked seamlessly with public transport for the first and last mile.
Photograph of me cycling in university taken by my engineering classmate James, and my plan to carry a steel frame road bike on the train for first to last mile.
I remember sketching ideas on my notebooks: how could I ride comfortably, carry what I needed, and still move easily through the city? How could a bike or scooter adapt to daily life instead of forcing riders to adapt to it?
One early experiment was simple and personal. I planned how to carry my steel-frame vintage road bike onto the train, because I didn’t want to leave it unattended. I had already lost a childhood bike to theft, even in a city as safe as Singapore. From that moment on, I knew I wanted a solution that stayed with the rider, wherever they went.
Left: first electric scooter prototype and concept model with a basket in 2013. Right: first cargo electric scooter prototype in 2018 with a 10kg load.
After years of learning and building — including working with an incredible team on Singapore’s first electric taxi, EVA — I finally returned to this personal problem. In 2013, I built my first electric scooter prototype. By 2018, that idea evolved into my first cargo electric scooter.
But the question was never just about adding cargo.
It was always this:
- How do we carry a person comfortably, fold the vehicle easily, and carry everyday belongings?
- How do we remove the stress of parking, locking, and worrying?
- How do we design something that blends into city and public transport?
Those questions led to what would become the world’s first transformable cargo e-scooter. A vehicle that changes with you: ride it, fold it, carry with it, and bring it indoors when you need to. No leaving it behind. No compromising between mobility and peace of mind.
Left: first transformable prototype 2019. Right: MIMO C3 transformable three wheel cargo e-scooter 2025
The most prestigous award MIMO C3 had achieved in Autonomy Mobility World Expo 2024 Paris.
MIMO is about micro-mobility that puts the rider first — especially in a world that still burns enormous amounts of energy just to move people short distances. As AI and automation take over more of our tasks, how we move through cities should become simpler, lighter, and more human — not heavier and more complex.
MIMO exists to give riders back a sense of control, freedom, and confidence in their daily journeys. Not by asking them to change their lives, but by designing a vehicle that fits naturally into it.
- Witono Halim, founder of MIMO Motor