The electric hybrid cycle making active travel accessible to everyone

1

become socially isolated, or rely on cars and become

inactive, which can lead to poor physical and mental health

The process that I have carried out for this project has included

looking into the problems that the people in my target market

face so that I could design a solution that would solve their

problems, asking them what features would be important to them

so that I can ensure I include them, and asking them for feedback

in order to develop my designs to the best standard possible

My proposal of a solution to the problem is a personal

transport vehicle that is pedal powered and electrically

assisted, that will allow people, especially older people, to

travel quickly, actively, easily and safely, empowering people

to stay active and mobile, while also reducing the use of cars

2Many older people have trouble walking, and road

crossings may not give them enough time to cross. The lack of accessible active travel solutions mean that they can

What is it?It is a lightweight electric road vehicle designed to empower people by bringing mobility

and freedom to older people who may become more socially isolated as they lose their

ability to travel, allow people to stay more fit and healthy, and reduce road congestion

and carbon dioxide emissions by providing an alternative to cars for commuting and

regular short journeys. There are two models in the range, the commuter, shown below to

the left, is specialised for commuting around city centres and the cruiser, shown to the

right, is aimed more towards leisure and travelling longer distances.

It is designed to benefit

the environment by

providing an alternative

to cars for regular short

journeys such as

commuting to and from

work. Many older

people rely on cars as

their only way of getting

around, but driving ten

miles a day, five days a

week can produce as

much as 3.8 tons of

carbon dioxide

pollution every year, so

for every person who

switches over to using

my electric vehicle, the

strain of travel on the

environment will be

reduced. The lack of

accessible active travel

solutions means that

driving is the only option

for many older people,

and my product aims to

fill this gap in the

market.

Features• Electric motorised assistance for easier travel

• Articulated quadrilateral steering for greater stability

• Regenerative braking for greater energy efficiency

• High capacity battery for maximum range

• Low frame for easy step through

• Relaxed geometry for comfortable seating position

• Accessible seat for easy mounting and dismounting

• Ergonomic grips for a comfortable and secure grip

• Luggage rack for storage of bags and shopping

• Easy rental system for affordable pricing

3

How does it work?

To increase the range of the battery, regenerative

braking is utilized when stopping and travelling

downhill. This technology works with the use of a

dynamo, which converts a kinetic turning force into

electrical energy by rotating a magnet within a

magnetic field, inducing a charge in a coil of wire.

When the user applies the brakes, the kinetic energy

lost by slowing down would usually be converted to

heat through the friction between the brake pads

and discs, but by using the turning force from the

wheels to turn a dynamo, some of this energy can be

recovered and used to recharge the battery while in

use, increasing the distance that the vehicle can

travel before needing to be charged again.

It uses a combination of turning force from the electric motor

and from the rider pedalling to propel the vehicle. The aim is

to make the experience of travelling actively as easy as

possible for the ageing members of society, whilst also

providing a way to exercise and keep fit, so the amount of

assistance provided by the motor is controlled to balance

the difficulty of cycling and the amount of power being

used. The additional assistance from the motor is increased

when travelling up hills, so that the rider does not have to

pedal harder than they would on flat ground, and is

gradually increased over the duration of the journey to allow

the user to travel further if they are getting tired. The setting

selected by the user determines exactly how much the

electric power helps out compared to the amount of input

from the rider.

4

Accessibility, user interaction and ergonomics

As the product is aimed towards older

people, considerations had to be made

towards various conditions such as arthritis,

weak grip strength, balance difficulties,

frail or weak joints, and low stamina. To

make it easier to get on and off of the

vehicle, the seat can slide up and down

vertically, as well as rotating 90 degrees to

either side, as shown to the right.

For people with arthritis or weak grip strength there

would be options for grips made from soft gel, or grips

that can be moulded to fit the shape of the hand, to

ensure a comfortable and secure grip for anyone.

The articulated quadrilateral

mechanism provides the best

of both worlds between a two

wheeled bicycle and a rigid

chassis tricycle, as it can stand

upright on its own, preventingthe rider from falling over, but

can also lean over for more

effective cornering.

5

As the product would require specialist materials and

components to manufacture, it would be very expensive to buy.

For users who would not use it enough for it to be worth leasing

one or buying it on finance, there would be a rental system,

similar to the existing systems present in London and other cities,

allowing customers to pay for how long they want to use it with

a mobile app.

The technologies that would be required are all ones that

already exist today, but used in different ways and not

necessarily used together as they are in this product. The

concept is technically feasible but would require an affordable

rental system to make the project financially viable.

From the research that I have carried out for this project, I have

not come across any existing products that fill the same gap in

the market that I have attempted to fill with my design, so I

believe that it is in fact a new innovation.

6

The design journey for this project started off with five basic sketches of different variations thatcould be used. In this stage of the design I explored different layouts that could be used to make thevehicle more stable, from three to four wheels, or even two wheels in a Segway style mechanism.

7

Having completed my initial sketches, I then

took the two that I believed to have the most

potential and developed them into simple 3D

models. Autodesk Fusion 360 was my software

of choice for all 3D modelling in this project.

I then took the design that I believed would beeasiest to adapt to meet the users requirementsand developed it further, optimising the shapeof the frame, the seat and the handlebars, andadding more details as well as realistic materials.

After conducting my first survey to find out moreabout the problems that my target market faceand what features are important to them, Icreated the second generation of my designwith a lower frame for easier step through, amore padded seat for improved comfort, and awider chassis for greater stability.

As I found out from the my survey,over half of my target market wouldbe interested in the applications of aproduct such as this to leisureactivities, so I have designed themore luxurious, top of the rangeflagship model to be morespecialised towards this, with a morerelaxed seating position, larger wheelsand a wider, longer wheelbase.

This page aims to show how I created the various parts of my 3D concept using Fusion 360.

8

An important part of this project was the iterative design process, a constant cycle of obtaining feedback from the potential customers and implementing changes to better meet their requirements. I did this by conducting surveys, first to find out more about the problems that I was trying to solve, and what features would be important to the target market on a product that aims to help them overcome these barriers.

9

These results show that there would be a large market for the product as a large majority of my target market regularly carry

out the activities that the product is intended to assist with.

These results show one of the problems that my project aims

to solve, by providing

an accessible alternative to fuel

burning vehicles which pollute the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.

These results show that the mostpopular reason for not travellingactively by cycle is journeys beingtoo long. I aimed to solve this issuewith my design by making journeyseasier and allowing users to gofurther than they could on aconventional bicycle.

These results show that, if theissues previously outlined werenot present, a significantproportion of people in mytarget market would beinterested in using the product,and many more who have notcompletely written off thepossibility could potentially beconvinced in the future.

These results show that the most popular features are those such as powerful electronic assistance, stability, long battery life and environmentally friendly, reinforcing the need for features which I was already planning on including and giving me additional suggestions.

These results show that over half theparticipants would be interested inusing the product for leisure. This is what

made me decide to design the Cruiser,to be more specialised towards this.

After making creating my second generation design based on the results of the previous questions, I found that most of my target audience would in one way or another, be interested in using the product.

This shows the average score given for how

well the people though the product would meet their needs in

terms of accessibility. Although this is fairly

good, it shows there is still room for

improvement.

After finalising my design by implementing some

of the suggestions that I had been given by

members of my target group in the previous

surveys, including a luggage rack for storage

and the rotating seat mechanism that can be

seen on page 5, I conducted a third survey to

find out what the potential customers thought of

the final outcome. I did this by providing them

with rendered images of my design and a full

description of the product, and asking for

feedback. I received an average score of 7.6

out of 10 for how interested they would be in

using the product, and 7.8 out of 10 for how well

they think it would meet their needs in terms of

accessibility, which is a significant improvement

from the 6.1 that I got on the previous survey.

10

At the end of this project, I have now developed my design

through several iterations of collecting feedback from my target

market, adding important features and making changes to

better suit their needs, however it is not perfect. If I were to

continue this project further then there are still more features

that could potentially be integrated into my design, such as anti

theft measures, and more suspension for a smoother riding

experience. Some people have also mentioned that it would be

too large to take on to public transport. Although the product is

mainly intended to replace the need for public transport

altogether, there may still be a market for a third model that can

be folded to be more compact, also for storage when not in use

when a garage is not available. I also received responses

mentioning how it could be useful for children with conditions

such as autism or down syndrome who struggle to balance on a

standard bicycle. Although the original brief was to make active

travel more accessible for the older generation, the solution that

I have designed could also be beneficial for children with

disabilities, so the product could also be made in smaller sizes to

cover a wider range of potential users.

“Great idea , looks impressive”

“Bringing a bit of fun back to people great idea”

“Great idea for us as we age and may not be as fit”

“Looks amazing”

“It is a very thought after design. Well done”

“Brilliant design”

“The work looks phenomenal and well planned. Bravo!”

“They look well thought out & designed & I’d happily use one.”

“Fabulous idea and design”

“Looks really good, comfortable and steady”

“Design looks modern and robust”

“Great idea to combine pedal power and electric assistance.”

“Fantastic idea”

“Fantastic product. Well done”

“Excellent modern design.”