The theme for my graduation project was titled “A hybrid vehicle for urban traffic”.
CHALLENGE
The electric bicycle is a mode of transport which is being discussed a lot as it is gaining market shares every year, and there is no doubt about its sustainability into the future.
Originated from the bicycle, no satisfying concept has been developed yet, neither technically nor from a design point of view. There are many experiments with both but the existing concepts are rarely thought through in both aspects. In preparation for a formal solution, an emphasis was put on the analysis of technical components.
The core of this project was the design and development of an electric bicycle which can be used and experienced with existing technology, and which emphasizes its hybrid characteristics both in technical and in design aspects.
Research took me to places and exhibitions where I got to see and to test drive a variety of concepts and models of electric bicycles.
PROCESS
Because of its focus on a functional bicycle, the prototyping played a big role in the design process.
The CAD-modelling went hand in hand with the implementation of models in 1:1 scale. Based on CAD data, a first prototype was built from cardboard and paper in order to get an impression of the volumes.
After some iterations, another prototype was built from steel. The main purpose was a test drive which turned out to be rather unstable. What engineers had foretold was, of course, true: A bicycle would have to be built from closed tubes/sections.
The steel prototype was further used for a quick prototyping of the battery and electric components, the so called Electric Train.
OUTCOME
The frame and all metal components were manufactured based on CAD data. Equipped with selected bicycle components and the hybrid technology, a fully operational electric bicycle was created, with pedal assistance up to 25 kph.
The result is an electric bicycle which can be used and experienced with existing technology, and which emphasizes its hybrid characteristics both in technical and in design aspects.
The battery can be unmounted from its central position for charging, and the bicycle becomes a ‘normal’ ride.
The rear axle is the melting point of muscle and electric drive. This is where a variety of materials and colors meet: The untreated aluminum profiles, the mint green painted parts of the characteristic Electric Train, the rapid prototype parts from Alumide, the black wheel hub motor and the red reflector.
