Platinum Winner of the International Architecture & Design Awards 2026
CONVOY
Engineering and Industrial Design
Completed / Built / Professional Category
Architect / Designer:
Joshua Richards and Jonathan O’Toole
Studio:
Micro Mobility Labs Ltd
Design Team:
Joshua Richards and Jonathan O’Toole
Country:
United Kingdom
CONVOY: a smart e-Trailer for bicycles.
The CONVOY e-Trailer transforms any adult bicycle into a family-ready utility vehicle, built to replace everyday short car journeys. A proprietary rear-axle mounts in seconds, adding a powerful motor for effortless electric assist and up to 50 kg luggage capacity perfect for kids, cargo, or pets. The patent-pending InLine e-trailer architecture delivers true innovation: a wireless handlebar sensor combined with an actuated rear-wheel steering system keep bike and trailer perfectly aligned, offering the safety and ride feel of a longtail e-cargo bike with the versatility, lightweight, and easy storage of a trailer.
Urban families are car-dependent because alternatives are expensive, bulky or difficult to ride. CONVOY design is fit for purpose as it builds on the bicycle format while addressing the key friction points (cost, storage, rider confidence) that keep families dependent on their car.
Form
CONVOY’s silhouette is aspirational for active parents, adopting the stable inline architecture of a premium longtail e-cargo bike, while the addition of the inline third wheel creates its distinctive, ownable form. CONVOY’s emotional appeal stems from oversize tubing, accessory mounting points, secure latches, low rack height, and modularity, all designed to resonate with family users prioritizing safety, security, and everyday convenience. CONVOY delivers immediate relief from the friction of utility cycling (cargo capacity, hills, wind, and storage), delivering the essential “I need this” effect during every ride.
Function
A wireless handlebar sensor relays steering inputs to a precision actuator, which dynamically augments the trailer wheel position, ensuring CONVOY remains perfectly inline with the bike and rider, eliminating the unpredictable swing of a standard trailer and making e-assist possible.
Usability is maximised by the no-tools install/remove feature, offering users versatility, portability, easy storage, and the ability to share CONVOY between bikes.
Differentiation
CONVOY is a category defining product. Its core innovation is active rear-wheel steering: a technology new to micro mobility, but proven in heavy transport vehicles i.e. lorries and trucks. This automotive grade system delivers the ride of a longtail cargo bike with the versatility of a trailer.
Sustainability
CONVOY delivers environmental and social benefits by replacing short, polluting car journeys with active transport, addressing issues like carbon pollution and inactivity. The core sustainable aspect is our design philosophy: we upgrade existing bicycles to extend their life and usefulness, rather than forcing the purchase of a new, additional solution. This maximises resource efficiency and transforms the existing bicycle from a hobby vehicle into an indispensable utility vehicle, offering a convenient low-carbon alternative for everyday urban mobility.
Micro Mobility Labs Ltd
The project task was born from the founders’ need, as new fathers, to find an accessible urban utility vehicle that allowed travel with family on their own schedule. Current solutions were too expensive, difficult to store, or challenging to ride. CONVOY is relevant because it provides the versatility of a trailer with the function of a premium e-cargo bike, all at an accessible price. The idea is fit for purpose as it builds on the bicycle format while addressing the key friction points (cost, storage, rider confidence) that keep families dependent on their car. CONVOY is needed to increase cycling participation for a healthier urban future.
