MMEE22110011 –– DDeessiiggnn

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by

Chan Wah Hsing A0066122R

Lin Shao Dun A0066078X

Leong Kang Siang A0066104R

Above picture is not a product of Ur-cycle company, just for illustration purpose only.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND/RECOGNITION OF NEEDS 2

IDENTIFICATION OF CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED 3

SPECIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS 4

FEASIBILITY STUDY 4

IDEA GENERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 6

DETAIL DESIGN 7

PRODUCTION OF DESIGN 9

DISTRIBUTION, SALE, USAGE 9

OBSOLESCENCE 9

CONCLUSION 10

REFERENCE / APPENDIX 11

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BACKGROUND / RECOGNITION OF NEEDS

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles and other human

activities have been cited as major contributors to the global climate change [1]

(Figure 1)

base on tremendous scientific studies in the past few decades. [2]

The rise of

environmentalism has led to recognition that promotion of public transportation systems

is one of the key aspects for sustainable and eco-friendly social development. However,

despite the fact that public transportation systems are the most efficient mode of

transportation by many metrics, they do not provide door-to-door flexibility or the short

travel time of personal transportation modes (such as bicycles).

Ur-Cycle, a newly established company, aims to redesign the bicycles for urban use. In

view of future rising cost in fossil fuel [3]

(Figure 2) and increase pollution to atmosphere

due to fossil fuel utilization, the company foresees a better designed bicycles has

enormous potential.

The company is planning to develop a new innovative bicycle that attempts to persuade

car drivers to stop using their cars but to ride the bicycle for everyday transportation.

Apparently, bicycle as daily transportation tool has many benefits, such as:

Promote an efficient and clean way of transportation which has zero greenhouse

gas emission.

Reconcile the economic development in cities with the quality of life and

environmental protection.

Minimize the environmental impact.

Reduce the fossil energy use and the economical / social cost.

With above explanations, a redesigned, innovative bicycle is essential for developing a

lifestyle less dependent on cars so as to attain a green life style.

Figure 1 Figure 2

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IDENTIFICATION OF CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED

After conduct a market survey (see Appendix B) of 50 candidates who driving car, here

is the list of the concerns if change the transportation method to bicycle.

Length of trip and travel time

Absence of bicycle lanes

Lack of secure bicycle parking

Learn curve needed for riding bicycle ( instability feeling)

Cycling is not comfortable in Singapore climate condition

Apart of car driver’s concerns, safety regulation of motorized bicycle (complying with

LTA law) [4]

also need to put into consideration:

The construction of a motorized bicycle must be similar to that of a conventional

pedal bicycle;

It must be powered by an electric source i.e. not petrol driven;

Its motor's maximum power output must not exceed 200 watts;

The electric motor can only cut in when the rider starts to pedal; and

The electric motor must cut off when the bicycle reaches a speed of 25 km/hr or

when the rider stops pedaling. This speed is comparable to the average speed of a

moderately fit adult pedaling a conventional bicycle on level ground;

The rider of the motorized bicycle must be at least 16 years old;

The rider must wear a suitable protective bicycle helmet securely.

Other constrains as follow:

The main target of this bicycle is workers. It is necessary to think about the

profile and the habits of this group of people.

The bicycle is an eco-product and this feature should be visible to end users.

The maintenance and the starting of the electric bicycle should be fast and easy,

reducing the necessity of tools.

The bicycle must have lights to see and to be seen in the darkness.

The bicycle will contain as much standard parts as possible.

The price of the bicycle should not exceed S$400-S$700.

The autonomy of the battery should be more than 50 kilometer.

The bicycle should give to the user the possibility to choose the engine help level.

The bicycle should be compact, light weight, foldable, easily to change shape for

transport and ease storage.

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SPECIFICATION AND REQUIREMENTS

Specifications

Product Weights <=15kg

Product able to withstand <=120kg of load

Product dimension <= 1000mm X 800mm X 1100mm

Traveling speed <= 25km/hr (if motorized bicycle are selected)

Motor’s maximum power <= 300 watts (if motorized bicycle are selected)

Requirements

Aesthetically pleasing

Easy to use

Comfortable

Environmental friendly

Economical

Affordable (S$500~$800)

With the specifications, requirements and constraints identified. We proposed the design

and construction of an Electric Scooter. The purpose-build electronic scooter is similar

in operation to the conventional type currently available. However, many improvement

and design concepts will be integrated into our design.

FEASIBILITY STUDY

After a long discussion with the design team, we had identified some factors that will

decide the success or failure of our product. They are being generalized into 2 main

standpoints:

1) Economical standpoint:

Affordability: From the market surveys we gathered, majority of the people

recommended the price range of S$500~S$800. Hence the sale price of our

product must fall within this range, so as to attract people from buying it.

Cost of product: In order to achieve maximum profits from our product, we

need to keep the cost of the product as low as possible. And hence we are

required to source for the cheapest manufacturer that could meet our quality

standard.

2) Technical standpoint:

Strength of the material selected: The strength of the material being selected

must have a safety factor of 2 with respect to our design calculations, so as to

avoid any unnecessary accident involving customers as it might tarnished the

reputation of the company

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Accessibility of spare parts: Spare parts of the bicycle must be easily be

accessible so that repair work for our product can run smoothly without

having the customer from waiting unhappily. Hence adequate spare parts must

be stock earlier on to avoid such incident from happening.

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IDEA GENERATION AND DEVELOPMENT

After comparing the advantages and disadvantage of existing bicycle designs (see

Appendix A), we have a brainstorming sessions to generate some concepts, we shortlist

our best 3 ideas that meet our specifications, requirements and constraints. They are:

1) Storage Bicycle: A bicycle that is able to store bigger stuff like briefcase, Laptop,

luggage and etc. The 4x Clips that are being mounted at bicycle frame helps to do the

tricks. It is most likely to be popular with office workers, as laptop and briefcase is an

essential part of their daily working life.

2) Trolley Bike: A tricycle that is foldable to become a trolley. The 2 rear wheel of the

tricycle helps the user to feels more balance and carry heavier load such as groceries,

brief case. This product will definitely be welcome by housewives.

3) Foldable Scooter: A two wheeled foldable electric scooter that can enable user to

effortlessly ride to anywhere, any place without having to get tired and sweaty. The

additional foldable function allows it to be easily stored or hand carry to any places.

*Please refer to Appendix C1~5 for sketches for the 3 designs.

Product selections criteria:

Ranking Criteria Possible points

Storage Bike

Trolley Bike

Foldable Scooter

Innovativeness 10 5 8 10

Appearance 10 5 7 8

Easy to use 10 10 8 8

Cost 10 8 6 3

Speed 10 6 4 10

Comfort 10 3 3 10

Total score 60 37 36 49

Ranking - 2 3 1

Selection:

Based on the product selection criteria, “Foldable Bike” emerged as a successful product

in our idea generation. Our team decided to work further to realize product design of

“Foldable Bike”.

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DETAIL DESIGN

INNOVATIONS OF REDESIGNED BICYCLE:

“Parallel-Hybrid” powered.

“Ez clip on” foldable structure.

Maintenance-free Twheel.

“PARALLEL-HYBRID” POWERED

A typically available lithium ion cell with an energy density of 201 Wh/kg [5]

but a fuel

cell has twice or more energy density than Li-Ion [6]

[7]

, which means it is suitable for of

bicycle power source for larger range autonomy . Here is a block diagram of “Parallel-

Hybrid” powered bicycle. (Figure 1)

The main power source is a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell using natural gas which is easily

available. Power management system will determine the distribution of power and the

power usage scheme:

When the bicycle is riding on low slope roads, electric motor will draw power

from fuel cell only, extra power from fuel cell will charge the Li-Ion battery.

When the bicycle is riding on uphill condition, both Li-Ion battery and fuel cell

will be used to drive the motor.

When the bicycle is riding on downhill condition, fuel cell can be throttled to

minimum power condition and the electric motor now become a generator to

charge the Li-Ion battery.

Detection of slope can be easily achieved by low cost MEMS type Triple Axis

Accelerometer [8]

; power management unit can be build base on Microprocessor

PIC16F8XX series.

Figure 1

Li-Ion Battery

Fuel Cell

Power Management and

Motor Control Unit Motor / Power generator

Vehicle Accessories

Rider Inputs / Feedbacks

Speed / Brake Control Battery Level Display

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Here is an illustration of operation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell [9] [10]

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“EZ CLIP ON” FOLDABLE STRUCTURE

Here is an innovative simple mechanism to make the bicycle foldable. (Figure 2)

This mechanism just uses one simple part to connect two tubular shafts together, the

connector can engage to the fix part which mounts on a sheetmetal base plate. When it

need to fold the bicycle (See Appendix X), just rotate the connector 90° and move it

upwards, until the two tubular shaft joins exposed, then the bicycle can be folded so that

it can be easily carried onto MRT or bus or stored in convenience places.

Figure 2

MAINTENANCE-FREE TWHEEL

To ensure the bicycle is maintenance-

free, Michelin™ Twheel® is installed,

which is a non-pneumatic mobility

concept, will increase product reliability

because it is maintenance-free, puncture-

proof, easy to mount and dismount and

provides a longer service life than radial

tires. [11] [12]

. Figure 3

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DETAILED OVERALL DESIGN

Please refer to Appendix C3~C5 for the sketch of detailed overall design of bicycle.

PRODUCTION OF DESIGN

Main structures are made by Sheetmetal, easy for mass production, low cost for

manufacturing.

To ensure the cost of the product is viable before it is launched to the market, we have

taken the following steps in cost reduction:

To source for cheaper raw materials.

Improvise on existing motor design so as to reduce cost in R&D for new motor.

Accurate sale forecast where mass production can take place accordingly.

Use of tubular bar instead of solid material where appropriate.

To shear and shape unwanted/obsolete areas after prototype, reduce materials,

hence cost saving.

To use recyclable materials where appropriate.

DISTRIBUTION, SALE, USAGE

Distribution of product can be easily achieved by following points:

24 hours convenience stores like 7-11 and cheers for easy accessibility to all

buyers

Supermarkets like Sheng Shiong and NTUC Fairprice are also another avenue.

Sale of the product is as shown below:

Estimated cost of production is $700.00 per piece

Estimated selling price of device is $850.00 per piece

Estimated profit is $150.00 for every device sold

Advertising and Marketing can be classified under internal strategy and

external strategy:

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For internal strategy, the best way is to let our employees to test our product for a period

not more than 1 month. Upon completion of 1 month, they could purchase it at a discount

of 10%. Reason being for this is mainly because if even an employee purchase the

product for his personal use, other buyers would have more confident in our product.

For external strategy, we would propose collaboration with the National Environmental

Agency. The purpose of this is to develop a bicycle culture and to educate the people

about the environment’s crisis and save our environment for our future generations.

OBSOLESCENCE

Most of the electric bicycle can be classified as zero-emission vehicles because they emit

no combustion products. Hence our electric bicycle will have significantly lower

environmental impact than those automobiles and most importantly it is generally seen as

environmentally desirable in an urban environment.

Sheet metal and Aluminum tubes can be recycled; it can be scraped and used to

manufacture other products.

The amount of wastage at the end of useful life is minimal.

CONCLUSION

Our Electric Bicycle is generally small in size; it doesn’t pose a threat to the space

especially in a small country like Singapore, and buyers would not have to worry about

the issue of parking problem. In addition to that, our electric bicycle has higher speed

than normal bicycle as it is being powered by motor and this greatly minimize the effort

of buyers. As for the pricing of our electric bicycle, our cost is much more cheaper as

compared to the cars and most importantly, we don’t used fuel which is not

environmental-friendly. Lastly, we can conclude that our electric bicycle is compact,

higher speed, minimum effort to run the bicycle, environmental friendly, abundant of

energy (electricity) and lower cost.

Based on the above advantages of an electric bicycle, I strongly recommend the

production of the design not only for the benefits of the company, but also for the general

well being and convenience of the people.

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REFERENCE

[1] Global Climate Change. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2010, from http://www.globalchange.gov/:

http://www.globalchange.gov/images/cir/pdf/Global.pdf

[2] The Discovery of Global Warming. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 21, 2010, from http://www.aip.org:

http://www.aip.org/history/climate/summary.htm

[3] Energy and Emissions Data. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 20, 2010, from http://www.env-ne.org/:

http://www.env-ne.org/Publications-and-Data/Energy-and-Emissions-Data

[4] LTA News release. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 26, 2010, from http://app.lta.gov.sg:

http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=3dg0xkd0ist3c311hbqq6t2t7z3m0f47uxed640rf7zvcala6

4

[5] Power-to-weight ratio. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-to-

weight_ratio

[6] Fuel Cell Power Source with Twice the Energy Density of Lithium Batteries. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27,

2010, from http://news.softpedia.com/: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fuel-Cell-Power-Source-with-

Twice-the-Energy-Density-of-Lithium-Batteries-6787.shtml

[7] The utilization of regenerative fuel cell. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27, 2010, from https://www.llnl.gov/:

https://www.llnl.gov/str/Mitlit.html

[8] Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - ADXL335. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 18, 2010, from

http://www.sparkfun.com: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=9269

[9] How a SOFC Works. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27, 2010, from Bloom Energy:

http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/solid-oxide-fuel-cell-animation/

[10] Solid Oxide Fuel Cells. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27, 2010, from Bloom Energy:

http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/solid-oxide-fuel-cell/

[11] The TWEEL - radical new wheel technology. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27, 2010, from

http://www.gizmag.com/: http://www.gizmag.com/go/3603/

[12] News. (n.d.). Retrieved 2 27, 2010, from http://www.michelin.com/:

http://www.michelin.com/corporate/actualites/en/actu_affich.jsp?id=17448&lang=EN&codeRubrique=4&

actu=true

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APPENDIX A: COMPARISION OF CURRENT DESIGNS

Existing Designs Advantages Disadvantages:

Normal Bicycle

Environmental friendly

Very affordable

Light in weight

Can weave in and out traffic

Durable

Get tired and sweaty

after long duration of

riding

Uncomfortable seat

Not foldable

Foldable bicycle

Environmental friendly

Compact (for storage

purpose)

Portable

Can weave in and out traffic

Affordable

Uncomfortable seat

Get tired and sweaty

after long duration of

riding

Require skill during

unfolding

Tricycle

More balance

Able to carry heavier load

Environmental friendly

Easy to ride

Bulky

Require more strength

to ride

Get tired and sweaty

after long duration of

riding

Not foldable

Quadricycle

Allow more than 1 people to

ride

Balanced

Very useful for tour places

Huge and bulky in size

Slow speed

Get tired and sweaty

after long duration of

riding

Not foldable

Small size Electric Scooter/ bicycle

Effortless riding

Environmental friendly

Faster speed compare to

normal bicycle

Affordable

More accident prone

due to effortless

riding

Require electric power

to run the scooter

Not foldable

Short autonomy

distance

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APPENDIX B: UR-CYCLE SURVEY FORM

Dear Sir/Madam,

The purpose of this survey is to understudy Singaporean response to the concept of giving up cars and take

up bicycle for their daily transportation. Please kindly take a few minutes to read through these questions

and place a tick on the relevant box. Your cooperation would be deeply appreciated.

Please be assured that your feedback will be kept strictly confidential and used for academic

research purposes only.

√ tick where applicable / others: please specify.

1 What is your age group?

10 – 20 □ 21 – 40 □ 41 – 60 □ 61 and above

2 Gender:

Male □ Female □

3 Occupation:

Admin/HR□ Professional □ Services □ Manufacturing □ Student □ Others

4 What is the max. amount of money that you are willing to pay for a multi-functional bicycle?

$50-$250 □$251-$500 □$501-$800 □ $801 to $1000□ >$1001□

5 Please indicate the following factors that would significantly encourage you to travel by bicycle

□Ability to maintain appropriate professional appearance □Clearly designated bicycle lanes

□Length of trip and travel time □Secure and sheltered bicycle storage facilities in Singapore

□Others:

6 What prevents you from giving up cars and take up bicycle for daily transportation?

□Weather

□Cars are more comfortable than bicycle

□Destination are too far away

□Cars are more safe and stable as compared to bicycle

□No bicycle Boulevards

□ All of the above

□Others:

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APPENDIX C-1: STORAGE BIKE CONCEPT - CHAN

APPENDIX C-2: TROLLEY BIKE CONCEPT - LEONG

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APPENDIX C-3: FOLDABLE SCOOTER CONCEPT - LIN

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APPENDIX C-4: FOLDABLE SCOOTER CONCEPT - LIN

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APPENDIX C-5: FOLDABLE SCOOTER CONCEPT