Smart E-cycle - Project Report

SMART e - CYCLE by Mr. P. PAVAN TEJA (2015519) Supervisor: Prof. Puneet Tandon Design Discipline PDPM INDIAN INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING, JABALPUR May 28, 2018 – November 15, 2018

ACKNOLEDGMENT ..................................................................................................................... 2 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3 2 MARKET STUDY ........................................................................................................................ 3 2.1 SURVEYS ............................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 FOCUS GROUPS.................................................................................................................. 4 2.3 INTERVIEWS ........................................................................................................................ 4 2.4 OBSERVATION..................................................................................................................... 4 3.NEED IDENTIFICATION ........................................................................................................... 4 3.1 BASIC FACILITES ................................................................................................................. 5 3.2 AFFORDABLE....................................................................................................................... 5 3.3 SMART AND STYLISH .......................................................................................................... 5 4. FORMULATING PROBLEM STATEMENT ........................................................................... 5 4.1 EXPECTED OUTCOME ........................................................................................................ 5 5. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 6 5.1 HYPOTHESIS........................................................................................................................ 6 5.2 TOOLS FOR DATA COLLECTION......................................................................................... 6 5.4 MOOD BOARD...................................................................................................................... 6 5.5 DIRECT OBSERVATION ....................................................................................................... 7 5.6 QUESTIONNAIRE ................................................................................................................. 8 5.7 PERSONA ............................................................................................................................. 9 6 CONCEPTALISATION .............................................................................................................. 10 6.1 ROUTINE CONCEPT ............................................................................................................ 10 6.2 VARIANT CONCEPT ............................................................................................................. 11 6.3 CREATIVE CONCEPT........................................................................................................... 11 7 FRAME DESIGN CONCEPT..................................................................................................... 13 7.1 MATERIAL SELECTION........................................................................................................ 13 7.2 FRAME SHAPE ..................................................................................................................... 13 7.3 CHAIN DESIGN..................................................................................................................... 17 8. CAD MODELLING..................................................................................................................... 19 9. RENDERS................................................................................................................................... 21 10. DETAILED DESIGN ................................................................................................................ 23 10.1 WHEEL DESIGN ................................................................................................................. 23 10.2 TECHNICAL PARTS............................................................................................................ 23 11. SMART BIKE ........................................................................................................................... 24 11.1 GPS NAVIGATION .............................................................................................................. 24 11.2 ANTI THEFT ........................................................................................................................ 25 11.3 CYCLE LIVE TRACKING ..................................................................................................... 25 11.4 LOW BATTERY INDICATOR ............................................................................................... 26 12. BRANDING .............................................................................................................................. 26 12.1 COLORS ............................................................................................................................. 26 12.2 LOGO .................................................................................................................................. 26 12.3 APP INTERFACE ................................................................................................................ 28 13. PROTOTYPING AND CONCLUSION .................................................................................. 31 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have worked my best in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the much support, mentorship and help of Professor Punnet Tandon and the design faculty. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them. I am highly indebted to Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing for their guidance and support as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for their support in completing the project. I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents for their kind co-operation and encouragement which help me in completion of this project. I would like to express my thanks to all the professional from industry who help to achieve the data I need for completion of this project. My thanks also go to my colleague in developing the project and people who have willingly helped me out with their abilities. 2

1. INTRODUCTION E-cycle also known as Electric bike or e-bike are daily use bicycle with integrated electric motor to support pedaling using propulsion. There are two types of e-cycles depending on their pedaling system – Pedal assist and Throttle Powered. Pedal assist cycles are e-bikes in which the battery just supports the pedaling and throttle powered cycle are just e-bikes which power up on throttle which is directly connected to the battery. As the battery is very small compared to that of an electric car, the environmental effects involved in recharging the batteries can of course be reduced by using solar energy as an alternative. My idea of making this e-cycle affordable to common people in India can increase the consumerism and demand on this product in the market therefore reduction of fuel consumed vehicles. 2. MARKET STUDY Market study is conducted for a better understanding of the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the external market and the completion ahead for both the product and the brand. It provides Insight to foresee the obstrucles which may be in the way while launching the product. Tools used for market study and research: -  Surveys  Focus groups  Interviews  Observation 2.1 Surveys The following are the main points gathered by doing a survey in market: -  People won’t be able to afford present e-cycles available in the market.  Portable would be better in this now-a-days ‘modern living’ society.  User friendly.  Easy and cheap maintenance. 3

2.2 Focus groups A Focus group has been formed and held a meeting to discuss about the e-cycle and its advantages. Along with the expected outcome and how do people accept a new product in our society? This group contains students of various departments as to get the overall view from every perspective in every means available. 2.3 Interviews Personal Interviews of stalk holders has been taken in order to strengthen the research. Most of the shop keepers agreed with the consumers about the cost factor that an affordable cycle is more likely to get picked up by the users for their daily routine. 2.4 Observation Basic observation of the consumers who walked into the cycle store to locate their needs and expectations of the current products in the market. Most of the crowd failed to purchase a product due to high cost or lack of sufficient features to that said price. Many of the consumers lack awareness towards the use of this e-bikes in order to decrease pollution and reduce the scarcity of fuel. 3. NEED IDENTIFICATION Need Identification is a tool used to determine how a product is useful to fulfill the needs of the consumer by gathering raw data from users. What are the pros and cons of the existing process? - Understand the process and problem - Interpret the raw data in terms of needs (Need) What is the customer requirement (marketing specification)? - Not quantified – they use terms such as: good, easy, user friendly, etc. 4

Depending on the questionnaire and surveys, needs of the consumer are identified into three categories: -  Basic Facilities.  Affordable.  Smart and stylish. 3.1 Basic Facilities: - The following are the basic features mostly present in all of the present cycles in the market: -  Reasonably light weight of cycle which is 10% to 13% of body weight (source: Lee Bridger’s philosophy)  All weather usable  Storage (minimum) in order to carry regular stuff.  Easily replaceable parts 3.2 Affordable: Most of the users in India prefer to ride an affordable cycle due to financial reasons and the increase of cycle thefts in middle and lower colonies where there is a lack of proper security. Most of the users are just scholars in schools and colleges or just beginners in firms who cannot afford costly electric cycles nor fuel powered motor cycles. 3.3 Smart and Stylish: The most common answer and advice received by most of the users is for the cycle to be stylish and to look smart in order to look good in the society and to show the status. They prefer to buy a stylish cycle then comparatively cheaper cycle with almost similar features. 4. FORMULATING PROBLEM STATEMENT Difficulty in cycling against elevation and long trip travelling. 4.1 Expected outcome: Cost efficient electric smart cycle compared to present models in the market. 5

5. METHODOLOGY 5.1 Hypothesis Created hypothesis based on the target audience- ‘Most of the people who use cycle in our locality are in between 19-27yr and 45- 60yr. So, by focusing mainly on these audience the problem can be mostly solved’. 5.2 Tools for Data collection - Direct observation - Interview - Questionnaire - Shadowing - Dive - Persona 5.3 Brainstorming: A quick brainstorming session was conducted to gather key points for concept generation in order to cover all the possible points while the concept is generated. 5.4 Mood Board: Mood Board is very important to keep the concept on track and making sure to deliver the right product to the market this mood board mainly consists of the styling of the product. 6

(fig 5.4.1) (fig 5.4.1) shows the main keywords of the mood board used for concept generation- SLEEK, MINIMAL, STYLISH, SMART, 5.5 Direct observation (fig 5.4.1) (fig 5.4.1) Images of cycle shops in Jabalpur 7

5.6 Questionnaire 8

5.7 Persona Persona is based on the answers given by the participants for the questionnaire. Which will be further processed into actual representation of persona. Shreyas, 28, Male. Cyclist and Cycle Shop Owner  Cycling done on daily basis.  2 hrs per day minimum time to ride a cycle.  Cycling is a part of daily routine  Cycling is not related to work but more of a personal passion and hobby.  No difficulty in cycling in city but couldn’t ride for a long time continuously.  Pipe lock is used to secure the cycle from theft.  Could spend nearly 10,000 rupees for upgrade if worth the features.  Not preferred automated but manual ride  GPS, Security can be upgraded in current cycle.  Monitor Health to see how much exercise is done.  Could afford an e-cycle for 25,000 rupees. Saakshi Agarwal, 19, Female Student  Rides cycle at least 2-3 days a week.  Cycles nearly 3 km a day.  Work related (Goes to college by cycling)  No difficulty in cycling for a while.  Back Pain while leaning forward for long time when cycling.  Lock system with keys is used for securing her cycle.  Could spend nearly 5,000 rupees for upgrade of the current cycle.  Too much base height so, difficulty in siting and riding.  Cycle can be light weight so the effort will be less on the rider.  Could afford a 15,000 rupees for new cycle 9

6. CONCEPTILISATION Three concepts were created during ideation depending on three different approaches: -  Routine concept  Variant concept  Creative concept 6.1 Routine Concept Concept created based on the present models or present products in the market so to keep the trend of market going on for users. (fig 6.1.1) (Fig 6.1.1) is the basic frame design used by the most of the leading cycle companies currently in the market. The new concept is based on the above frame in this first design of the routine concept. The yellow highlighted part is a storage unit for the battery and other components. 10

6.2 Variant Concept Concept based on the routine design but with a change of most of the design including frame design and dimensions keeping other factors undisturbed. (fig 6.2.1) (fig 6.2.1) is a concept frame design based on (fig 6.1.1) but the frame is mostly modified in terms of design and dimensions. 6.3 Creative concept  Third concept which is a creative and unique idea is nothing but a collapsible frame design.  Collapsible frame can be helpful in saving space to park this cycle and to easily portable in between floors of apartment, can be fit in any car/vehicle to transport. 11

 This third concept is unique and never seen in the market until today. Most of the target audience who live in modern lifestyle will definitely need a cycle transport like this cycle. (fig 6.3.1) (Fig 6.3.1) is the basic frame design still under developing stage in which the concept is a collapsible frame which allows portability and space saving. (fig 6.3.2) (fig 6.3.2) is a concept frame design based on (fig 6.3.1) but the main tube along with the handle and seat is collapsed. 12

7. FRAME DESIGN CONCEPT 7.1 MATERIAL SELECTION: Material selection is one the main step in order to design a frame. Usually there are two main options – steel and aluminum available for frame fabrication. There are other options too like carbon fiber, bamboo and even titanium which can be used to create good cycles but they are either expensive or not for a daily use. 7.1.1 Stability Aluminum is lighter than steel and less dense but due to this the cycle will face a lot of instability while traveling on an uneven road. 7.1.2 Strength Steel is stronger than aluminum and aluminum is way more brittle in nature. Steel tends to bend and then break giving it more life than aluminum as aluminum doesn’t bend it breaks up directly. 7.1.3 Weight Steel is way heavier than aluminum which makes using steel difficult as to make a light weighed cycle. 7.2 FRAME SHAPE: Frame shape is the main factor of the cycle looks and balance. 7.2.1 Axial diagram The Axial line in a cycle is basically like a skeletal system of the human body, it shows the pillar work of the cycle and it is used as a foundation for 3D modelling of the particular product: - 13

(fig 7.2.1) (fig 7.2.1) shows the Axial diagram of the frame design (not to scale) which is a basic step for the frame design. This axial designs are made after exploring many competing cycles and after deciding an idea for the concept creation. 7.2.2 Mechanism The first tube is used to increase or decrease the length of the cycle frame as per user’s comfort whereas the second and third tube is worked on button system (inspired by umbrella mechanism) to close in the frame for space saving and portability of the cycle. (fig 7.2.2) (fig 7.2.2) Shows the Mechanism of the frame tube. 14

7.2.3 Dimensions Started Dimensioning on sketch and later modified in cad modelling by rounding off the values accordingly (in Inches) (fig 7.2.2) (fig 7.2.2) is a representation of a rough concept with rough dimensions and the special marked area is the placement of the four rings of chain. 7.2.4 Handle design The handle of the cycle is also foldable for ease when it is used for portability or to save space. Flat handle is preferred over curved handle with keeping in mind the mechanism and difficulty to use. 15

(fig 7.2.3) (fig 7.2.3) The Ideation of the handle shape and design and its mechanism. 16

7.3 CHAIN DESIGN: The Four ring chain concept is inspired from the four wheel pulley system in which the work load is decreased by 4 times on user. Anyway here the effort in riding the cycle is only 2 times less than the actual effort by the user. (Fig 7.3.1) (Fig 7.3.1) These are the finalized four ring setup from Ideation for chain concept. 17

Four ring chain concept theory [Source of the above theory and images is from Wikipedia and ‘Pulleys’ from physics text book reference] 18

8. CAD MODELLING (fig 8.1) (fig 8.1& fig 8.2) Screenshot from solidworks showing the development of the cad model. (fig 8.2) 19

(fig 8.3) (fig 8.3) is the working collapsible frame of the cad model. 20

9. RENDERINGS 21

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10. DETAILED DESIGN (fig 10.0.1) The dimensions are all in Inches whereas the ‘d’ represents diameter of the respective parts. 10.1 Wheel design  The Wheels are taken as 14inch and 12inch for front and rear respectively  The difference in the wheel length is explained using the following theory – “Diameter of the tire is directly proportional to the Traction and Rolling resistance”  Which means bigger tire in the front is for more grip while turning or riding and smaller tire in the back gives less rolling resistance (less force required to pedal) useful as the body weight usually falls on the rear wheel.  The front wheel is detachable easily for portability and space saving. 10.2 Technical parts  Motor: 24V 350W 400RPM  Battery: 12V 360W  Speed throttle controller: 24V 500W 23

11. SMART BIKE The Concept e-bike above is then made Smart by connecting it with an app through bluetooth which can be helpful to assist the user in many ways and thus making it a smart user friendly e-bike.The features in the e-bike are:-  GPS Navigation.  Anti- Theft.  Cycle live Tracking.  Low battery Indicator. 11.1 GPS NAVIGATION The GPS Navigation can allow the user to monitor their ride and recommend them about the nearby places to visit while cycling. Along with this the user can save favorite places to the list for later. (fig 11.1.1) Interface of the GPS page from the app 24

11.2 ANTI-THEFT The Cycle has a sensor in it which triggers an alarm when it is misplaced from its position. The sensor and its wiring is all hidden inside the frame tube so it cannot be found to the thief. The alarm however can be switched off using the app. 11.3 CYCLE LIVE TRACKING The Cycle has a sensor which helps the user to locate it (live) using the app when misplaced from its position or when lost in the parking lot. (fig 11.3.1) Live Tracker interface from the app. 25

11.4 LOW BATTERY INDICATOR The app allows the user to check the battery status and the app even sends a notification when the battery is less than 15% of the total value. The battery is rechargeable so, the user can charge his cycle battery when he checks his notification. 12. BRANDING 12.1 COLORS The Colors chosen for the App and cycle are cool shades of blue to black. The interface is dark which helps in ease to figure it out while cycling helping user to understand it in a glance. 12.2 LOGO The Name of the cycle is ‘EGO’. EGO has many meanings (which not be confused with arrogance) is life, passion, excitement, growth, drive, creativity, individuality, unique personality and reason. So, this is the reason the name of the cycle is ego in which the ‘e’ means electric and ‘go’ is the motivation we need to cycle daily. 26

(fig12.2.1) Brand name ‘EGO’ and the colors chose for the logo. The Brand name is mostly circular just to give a feeling of a stationary cycle on wheels and the circular letters represent the four circles which is taken from the four ring chain concept. (fig 12.2.2) The logo of the cycle is ‘GO’. Same font and style has been used just like the Brand name. 27

12.3 APP INTERFACE The App interface mostly used shades of grey and highlights of deep ocean blue with font in white and light grey. The font used in the app is ‘ROBOTO’ and ‘ROBOTO SEMIBOLD’. (fig 12.3.1 & 12.3.2) Start page and profile page interface of the app in dark grey color and white, blue and light grey font. 28

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(fig 12.3.3, fig12.3.4, fig12.3.5, fig12.3.6, fig12.3.7) App Interface of some of the main pages like Tracking Ego, GPS, Main screen sub, Home screen, Saved places in maps (in order) clearly showing the features and working method of the app. 13. PROTOTYPING Every concept is a fairytale told by a designer until the prototype is developed. The e-bike (EGO) is a unique design which is to be developed very carefully keeping all the parameters in mind.  First the lower back the body is being constructed using the scrap parts and some tubes of other old cycles.  Later the hooks and screw holder are welded onto the required positions.  Then a used- motor is attached to the back of the cycle along with an alternate chain for automated electric drive  Remaining parts are in transit, once they reach the prototype won’t take much longer to get constructed. 30

(fig 13.1 & 13.2) (fig 13.1 & 13.2) The photographs of the lower back prototype being developed and welded. 14. CONCLUSION My hypothesis was that the EGO (e-bike) would be useful to the target audience in order to overcome the elevation without much effort and to ride long distance trips. I think the tests I did were good enough and I had no problems, except for the fact that the batteries run too quickly. Therefore, I had to change the voltage and capacity of the battery. A proper funded future study might help to create a better design with customised battery etc. which might be a deciding factor for customers to choose this over every other e-bike. 31