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Second (or maybe third?) life for electronics: sustainability ideas at VILNIUS TECH "LinkMenu fabrikas"

December 18, 2024
Sometimes, the inspiration to create something new can lie in the old, forgotten things. This is what VILNIUS TECH Faculty of Electronics first-year electronics engineering student and our intern, Vilius Rudgalvis, discovered when he decided to revive an electric scooter that had been gathering dust for years. This vehicle has a special history – it was created in 2016 by Ricardas Lescinskas, a member of the VILNIUS TECH "LinkMenu fabrikas" team. At that time, electric scooters were just beginning to make their way into the market – there was no "Bolt" or other electric scooter-sharing services, and the scooter itself was made from used parts and hand-welded.

2016 innovation – the electric scooter

In one of the year's news stories, we found the full history of the scooter: "The idea of creating such a vehicle came up very simply – I was thinking about a convenient mode of transportation to get to work. Since I had some free time in the summer, I dedicated it for the implementation of this project. After one charge, it can travel up to 50 kilometers – so it's more than enough for several round trips to work. The electric scooter is perfectly adapted to our terrain, as, for example, it's not an easy climb up Vilnius' Seskine hill by bike. This vehicle has large, comfortable wheels, which makes it easy to ride around the streets of big cities," said Ricardas Lescinskas, a member of the VILNIUS TECH "LinkMenu fabrikas" team at the time. When asked about mass production, Ricardas mentioned that with growing interest, it could be a real possibility. However, he couldn't answer what the price of this product would be on the market at that time.

Second (or perhaps third?) life of the scooter

As electric scooters and their sharing services became popular, the scooter created by Ricardas became a nice story, however, it remained sitting in electronics workshops. After a few years, in 2024, the scooter was revived, and its second (or maybe third?) life is now in the hands of its new owner, Vilius.

Vilius, what caught your eye about the scooter?

"Getting from Sauletekis to Linkmenu Street isn't very convenient by public transport. That motivated me to look for a solution to make my daily commute easier. When I saw this unique, but unused scooter, I thought: could I repair it and adapt it for my needs? I decided to give it a try – I fixed it up, updated it, and made sure it would be practical and durable, even on rainy days. That's when the mudguards appeared – a very useful detail not only for the scooter but also for keeping my trousers clean!" says the intern.

In the electronics workshop – like in a candy store

When asked how he feels working in the workshop, Vilius smiles and says, "I feel like I'm in a candy store – it’s full of interesting projects that just need a final touch. Some are waiting to be finished, while others make me want to take them apart and reuse the parts for something even more exciting. It's important not to let potential go to waste!"

What's more important: creating something new or bringing something old back to life?

"Although it's often more cost-effective to simply replace a thing with a new one, the ability to repair and reduce consumption is very important. Even with advancing technologies, the ability to fix and adapt old things shouldn’t be dismissed."
 

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