Designed during New Zealand’s COVID-19 Alert Levels 4 to 2, the original brief for this university project was adapted to the circumstances. The resulting brief tasked us with utilising collective research completed prior to lockdown, to inform the design and development of a shared scooter, with focus on the mode of transport. Due to the circumstances, there was limited access to modelling materials and the final outcome was designed in CAD and digitally rendered.
Using the collective research, I correlated the data to find that a quarter of commuters in the Wellington CBD were utilising shared electric scooters. It also showed that more than half of the commuters were aged between 20 to 30, with over 60% either studying or employed. This revealed that a significant amount of young people, both employed or studying, were trying to make their way around the CBD, regardless of their mode of transport. Data showed that despite the quarter of commuters utilising shared electric scooters, over half of commuters were using personal bikes. When reviewing the scooters lower ridership, research revealed that more than a quarter of the issues raised with scooters were battery and space related.
The opportunity was to design a shared scooter system that employs a compact scooter design, alleviating issues of space consumption and battery charging.
While the idea of compact scooters isn’t new, the way some have approached it has resulted in less than aesthetically pleasing designs. From a functional standpoint, some designs also make it difficult to compact the scooter, sacrificing strength and usability in the process. In terms of a spectrum from most compact scooter to least, with most being difficult and least being dead simple, mine was aimed at bridging the two. The goal of my scooter wasn’t to be the most compact scooter ever, but to make it simple and easy to compact, with an aesthetic derived from its’ function. The design was also intended to encourage users to compact when finished riding and charge only when compacted.
The outcome is a design that utilises four smaller wheels rather than two large, allowing the scooter to compact more efficiently. It employs a skateboard truck design, allowing the riders to lean into the corners and increase its’ overall manoeuvrability. Each wheel is individually mounted on a specific angle, allowing the wheels to compact in one rotating motion. The scooter utilises an all-wheel hub motor design, for increased torque during inclines common in the Wellington area. And a carry handle at the rear is designed for transit between spaces where riding is constrained, allowing users to retract the handle bar and rear wheels, while leaving the front for wheeling along like a suitcase.
When you’re ready to store at your office or studio, lift and place it on the provided wall charger, securing the scooter on the underside using strong neodymium magnets. The charger then recognises the scooter, updating any necessary software via the local network, and charging the scooter for its’ next ride.
Designed during New Zealand’s COVID-19 Alert Levels 4 to 2, the original brief for this university project was adapted to the circumstances. The resulting brief tasked us with utilising collective research completed prior to lockdown, to inform the design and development of a shared scooter, with focus on the mode of transport. Due to the circumstances, there was limited access to modelling materials and the final outcome was designed in CAD and digitally rendered.
Using the collective research, I correlated the data to find that a quarter of commuters in the Wellington CBD were utilising shared electric scooters. It also showed that more than half of the commuters were aged between 20 to 30, with over 60% either studying or employed. This revealed that a significant amount of young people, both employed or studying, were trying to make their way around the CBD, regardless of their mode of transport. Data showed that despite the quarter of commuters utilising shared electric scooters, over half of commuters were using personal bikes. When reviewing the scooters lower ridership, research revealed that more than a quarter of the issues raised with scooters were battery and space related.
The opportunity was to design a shared scooter system that employs a compact scooter design, alleviating issues of space consumption and battery charging.
While the idea of compact scooters isn’t new, the way some have approached it has resulted in less than aesthetically pleasing designs. From a functional standpoint, some designs also make it difficult to compact the scooter, sacrificing strength and usability in the process. In terms of a spectrum from most compact scooter to least, with most being difficult and least being dead simple, mine was aimed at bridging the two. The goal of my scooter wasn’t to be the most compact scooter ever, but to make it simple and easy to compact, with an aesthetic derived from its’ function. The design was also intended to encourage users to compact when finished riding and charge only when compacted.
The outcome is a design that utilises four smaller wheels rather than two large, allowing the scooter to compact more efficiently. It employs a skateboard truck design, allowing the riders to lean into the corners and increase its’ overall manoeuvrability. Each wheel is individually mounted on a specific angle, allowing the wheels to compact in one rotating motion. The scooter utilises an all-wheel hub motor design, for increased torque during inclines common in the Wellington area. And a carry handle at the rear is designed for transit between spaces where riding is constrained, allowing users to retract the handle bar and rear wheels, while leaving the front for wheeling along like a suitcase.
When you’re ready to store at your office or studio, lift and place it on the provided wall charger, securing the scooter on the underside using strong neodymium magnets. The charger then recognises the scooter, updating any necessary software via the local network, and charging the scooter for its’ next ride.