When we talk about mobility, it’s not just about improvements in engines, more horsepower, faster acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h or larger touchscreens in the cabins. They play too a central role for suggestions aimed at solving problems for the user or make moving improvements so you can take care of your health and enjoy more independence.
This category includes ““Eco Torky”A Tricycle designed to make loading in cities easier, provides an affordable alternative for those who are underserved. It all started in Córdoba, when the founder of Torky, Juan Ignacio Guajardo, saw an opportunity when he saw recyclers using horse-drawn carts or carrying them on foot: “It seemed incredible to me that they didn’t have a suitable vehicle. I started talking to the cartoneros to understand everything, what use they gave it, what distance they traveled, what items they transported and how much weight.”
In 2018, he created a first prototype, gave it to recyclers at the El Álamo cooperative to test, and they were fascinated by the project. They were the ones who bought their first device in 2019 and a few weeks later acquired ten more through a donation from Danone after testing its functionality.
As a boy, Guajardo had a passion for iron. In fact, he says that Thanks to his grandfather, he learned to drive at the age of eight and wanted to make car design his career.. Since he was unable to go to Europe to study this profession, he decided to study industrial design, but when he studied He was disillusioned with automobile manufacturing and criticized its efficiencythe amount of materials used for transportation and how very few people use them to their full potential. Over the years, they became increasingly interested in sustainability and specialized in light vehicles.
“I wanted to build a light, rustic but efficient vehicle that had good mechanics. I was interested in the visible chassis design and eventually specialized in light vehicles: It must be taken into account that a bicycle can carry 10 times its weight, but a car can carry up to 10 times less.“, defines the founder of the company.
The main pillar of desire on which the company wanted to build was “Make innovation more democratic and for those who need it”. To this end, he began improving the designs over the years. There have already been 15 evolutions of the vehicle and more than 300 units have already been sold in 27 cities in Argentina in Chaco, Salta, Jujuy, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Misiones, Corrientes and Mendoza. The model has a sales price of $3,850,000 plus VAT, with financing becoming a challenge and arrangements with banks being sought.
“There are many cases of users whose quality of life has improved with Torky. In Posadas there was a user with spina bifida who couldn’t ride a bike, but riding the Torky made him feel more relaxed. In Córdoba, another person uses it to load washing machines and refrigerators and transport them from one place to another. They are also used for work other than the recyclers, with some users ferrying tourists around the city of Buenos Aires in the version with a canvas roof on the back and two passengers.
He explains why it can provide users with relief and what differences it has compared to a bicycle that pulls the cart: “It has a riding position as if you were sitting on a deck chair, so that the distribution of force across the body prevents the body weight from only being shifted in one area.”
As he made adjustments and improvements to the model, he realized that Torky could be used to help other people. They made an all-terrain device with three wheels and two electric motors for Eduardo Cotta, a lawyer with multiple sclerosis.
That gave Torky the kick Further development of its models with front suspension and four-wheel drivewhich enabled many people with disabilities to move over uneven terrain much more independently.
Torky devices are already being exported and have begun an expansion process. They made an agreement with a factory in Ecuador to manufacture there and granted it a license for two years. The founder hopes to expand into multiple countries, reduce shipping and customs costs, but most importantly, improve people’s lives.
About The Author
