HR Bank
Your home's power bank.
Client
Tukas EV
Year
2022
Category
Industrial design
Link
tukasev.com
Awards
iF Design Award Gold. 2025
Geras dizainas 2023 award
Red Dot 2025 design award
"A pretty remarkable invention that combines fitness and energy production in one device.” - Fox News
iF Gold Statement:
Anyone who’s broken a sweat doing cardio in the gym has probably wondered how to harness the energy they expend. Now, Lithuanian startup Tukas EV has delivered the answer – and it’s remarkably simple. This exercise-cum-charging device lets you be part of the EV revolution without leaving home. It’s also cleverly designed for easy assembly and disassembly, so you could take this with you on the road. Full marks for thinking outside the box!
The iF Design Award is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious design competitions, with 11,000 entries from 70 countries. HR Bank has received the highest
The product
HR Bank integrates an exercise bike, a power generator, and a 2kWh battery into a single object designed to live in a home. Fifteen minutes of pedalling charges a phone. An hour charges a laptop. It connects to solar panels, wind turbines, or the grid, and stores energy for when it is needed. During a blackout, it can run a fridge for three days or power 20 laptops. Built from recycled aluminium and FSC-certified birch, it is designed to be repaired, not replaced.
The brief
HR Bank began as a different project. We had been working with Tukas EV for about a year on an electric vehicle under NDA when the war in Ukraine started, a few hundred kilometres away from us. The CEO came in with a different question: what happens when the grid goes down?
We sketched the first concept together that day. The constraints were immediate and real: use the CNC machinery and electrical components already in the factory, build something that could store energy from any source, and if nothing else was available, charge by pedalling.
Engineers had a working prototype in two days. Then the real work began.
Versatile Energy Management
The core challenge was designing for uncertainty. HR Bank had to function whether the grid was available, whether solar panels were on the roof, or whether none of that infrastructure existed. The 2kWh battery accepts input from solar, wind, grid, and human power. The output is pure sine wave, which matters: it powers sensitive electronics, not just basic appliances.
The Backup of Last Resort
The exercise function is not a wellness feature. It is the backup of last resort, and that changes how you design it. It needed to work for a broad range of users, generate meaningful power without requiring athletic fitness, and feel like a proper piece of exercise equipment, not an afterthought. Fifteen minutes at a moderate pace produces enough energy to charge a smartphone.
Adjustable and User-Friendly Design
HR Bank adjusts to fit users between 120cm and 230cm, up to 150kg. The range is deliberate: this is a household object, not a gym machine. It needs to accommodate children and seniors as well as athletes. The geometry was refined across multiple iterations to ensure the proportions hold regardless of configuration.
Dynamic Workstation Integration
An optional desk accessory mounts to the handlebars in two seconds, turning HR Bank into a workstation. You can power your laptop by pedalling while you use it.
Built for longevity
Most consumer electronics are not designed to last. HR Bank is. Recycled aluminium, sourced from partners in Sweden and produced using solar and hydro energy, forms the primary structure. FSC-certified birch plywood and vegan or natural leather were chosen to wear well over time, not to look good at launch. Every component is replaceable. When battery technology improves, the battery can be swapped.
The full supply chain is European. Manufacturing is in Lithuania. That was a deliberate choice: it allows quality control, customisation, and repairability at a level that offshore production cannot match. Both the iF Gold jury and Red Dot jury specifically recognised these decisions.
Try out the configurator
Built for Longevity and Easy Maintenance
The HR Bank is built for longevity and easy maintenance. High-quality, durable materials are used, and unlike most modern electronics, it can be disassembled, and parts can be replaced. This design philosophy ensures that the HR Bank remains a lasting and irreplaceable part of your home.
Designed and manufactured in Lithuania by Tukas EV, the HR Bank reflects a commitment to a sustainable and efficient energy future. By integrating energy storage, physical fitness, and customizable design, it offers a comprehensive solution for modern energy management.
Materials
HR Bank is made mostly out of aluminium. We source recycled aluminium from our partners in Sweden. Using solar and hydro energy they produce 8 types of aluminium extrusions for us, which we then machine in our factory. Aluminum is ideal due to its durability, versatility, and infinite recyclability; about 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.
Other materials include stained FSC-certified birch plywood, vegan leather and natural leather. These materials were selected with long usage in mind. We want them to wear well over time and maintain premium feel.
All parts are easily repairable and replaceable, which means HR Bank can be used for a very long time. For example: once a more efficient battery technology becomes available we should be able to offer replacements.
Despite the product's substantial internal battery capacity of 2kWh, which adds to its weight, portability was one of the goals. To achieve this, we equipped the HR Bank with transportation wheels at the front. It can be tilted and moved around easily, much like luggage. Additionally, there are handles on top for lifting, again designed with luggage in mind.
Final product
With the handlebars and saddle removed, HR Bank looks like a piece of considered furniture. That was the intention. A product this size, designed for daily presence in a home, cannot be something you hide. The finishes are precise. The materials are honest. It belongs in a room the same way a good chair does.
