Developing e-Mobility Micro-Mobility Bicycle Solutions to Reduce Poverty

A Design for Good project to support Powward Mobility in the design and development of zero-emission 3-wheeler. Sponsored by The Autodesk Foundation.

Developing e-Mobility Micro-Mobility Bicycle Solutions to Reduce Poverty

Powward Mobility has developed the JUA Trike, a product aimed to inspire and sustain the growth of small enterprises by providing affordable and clean transport solutions to enterprising youth, learners, and workers of rural and urban areas. This project aimed to further develop the design of the zero-emission 3-wheeler, making it adaptable for three transportation modes (passenger, cargo, and mobile shop mode), suitable for rough terrain, and easily built through a 2-step assembly without the need for special tools.

The project considered the design requirements, design constraints, manufacturability, and assembly of the modular trike. Modeling and stress simulations were conducted on CAD software, and the bill of materials was completed and evaluated for supplier and shipping logistics.

The trike was designed for manufacturability and offers a competitive edge in its modular structure. The trike can be disassembled into two parts, resulting in the smallest shipping crate for trikes on the market. This opens the opportunity for air shipment distribution, accelerating delivery time while increasing its accessibility on a global scale.

The trike has two drivetrains: the primary resembles the drivetrain of a standard bicycle; while the second is entirely confined within the flatbed structure of the trike (protecting the components from damage) and is powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

The flatbed structure is supported by motorcycle shocks to ensure passengers and transported goods are undisturbed during transport. The passenger mode can transport up to two adults and three children in addition to the driver. The cargo and mobile shop mode can transport goods of up to 450kg (including the driver).

With these design considerations and manufacturability in place, the JUA trike can be locally assembled without the need of experts and its optimized design in modularity for efficient shipping and delivery can ensure every aspect of the world can have access to clean energy and sustainable transportation.

The JUA electric trike with passenger module, Attribution: Shannon Tin Oi Lee and Powward Mobility

Leave a Reply

Join a global community of changemakers.

Become A Member