One-off, huge impact: why the Banatti Green Falcon is a legend

The story of the Banatti Green Falcon, a Filipino project with no future that reignited attention on an important issue... Here’s the tale.

Experiments, including ecological ones, have never been lacking over the years—born of human creativity that we hope to never lose despite the rise of artificial intelligence... Banatti Green Falcon is one of them, a one-off model that remains in the private collection of its creator. A very particular motorcycle, fully electric, but what stands out is the fact that its bodywork is 100% bamboo! There’s an important message behind this project... Let’s look at its story.

Probably yes, given its composition. The Banatti Green Falcon was officially unveiled for the first time in October 2017 at the Manila FAME Show design fair in the Philippines, as part of the special “Bamboo Extreme” exhibition. Its “father” is designer Christopher Paris Lacson, supported by his team in bringing to life this distinctive project under the Banatti brand, a company focused on electric mobility and innovative vehicle concepts founded by the Filipino designer himself. The Green Falcon was created in response to a Philippine government program at the time, aimed at boosting economic and industrial development tied to bamboo plantations in the country.

The aforementioned bamboo bodywork immediately catches the eye, with the outer shell weighing just 6.5 kg: far lighter than traditional fiberglass! This special motorcycle is powered by a 3.3 kW (4.4 hp) electric motor fed by a 48-volt lithium battery, geared for 60 km/h. Even though it could go well beyond that, it was designed to ease city traffic and reduce consumption, with a charge that could therefore ensure a range of 45–50 km. The model was presented at the end of 2017, but the first road tests and international media coverage began in early 2018.

The Banatti Green Falcon, a one-of-a-kind model that blends motorcycle design with ecological sustainability and local craftsmanship, was not built for commercial purposes. The goal of designer Christopher Paris Lacson and his team, in response to the aforementioned Philippine government program, was to demonstrate how local natural resources could be used for technological innovation that aligns with what’s so trendy today: zero environmental impact.

An experiment is always a starting point. In the case of the Banatti Green Falcon, we’re not talking about mass-market bikes, but it certainly paved the way for subsequent projects. Raw bamboo had a very low commercial value (about 5,000 Philippine pesos, just under 70 euros), but equally important was its tensile strength comparable to steel, despite a much lower weight. Thus, urban mobility projects emerged, such as scooters and e-bikes, and even the Bamboo Mobile, eco-friendly variants of jeepneys, the most popular form of public transportation in the Philippines.

The Banatti Green Falcon, never intended for mass production from the outset, is currently kept in Manila, specifically in the private collection of its creator, Christopher Paris Lacson, CEO and Design Director of Banatti. This model, however, hasn’t completely vanished: it has been seen at various fairs focused on electric mobility, eco-friendly design, or local craftsmanship—three sectors embodied by this very unusual motorcycle. Not only that: by Lacson’s own admission, the Green Falcon is occasionally taken out on the road “to give it some exercise.”

-> Follow us on Instagram: @Corsedimoto