Personal transport goes green

It appears that the inexorable rise of the electric vehicle has well and truly begun and that whether it has two, three or four wheels, personal transport that is silent, swift and clean is set to change the way we travel and commute. Gocycle is an electric two-wheeler that has been designed as a means of urban transport. It combines portability, style and on-demand electric power to offer the rider the health benefits of cycling and, at the push of a button, a no-effort, emission free run-around. 

Gocycle's high-powered electric motor is discreetly hidden in the cycle's front hub allowing the rider to quickly reach 15mph and travel for up to 20 miles on a single charge, depending on how much he or she decides to pedal. Richard Thorpe, Gocycle designer and founder of KKL, explains the business rationale behind the creation of the vehicle: "Urban commuters around the world are becoming increasingly frustrated by poor transport infrastructure, as well as city government actions to reduce traffic congestion and the increasing costs associated with travel."

Although the traditional bicycle has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years, focus-group research clearly shows that pedal power alone does not meet the needs of all commuters. There is the effort required to travel long distances and the discomfort and inconvenience of working up a sweat on the way to the office. Gocycle addresses these issues and also provides consumers with a vehicle that is stylish and beautifully made.

Thorpe began development of the Gocycle with very clearly defined high specification manufacturing criteria, which also encompassed the selection and appointment of technology and service suppliers. "We chose the best manufacturing options available from around the world," he says. "Proto Labs offered a totally unique service to our product designers that made our development process much faster. You just submit your 3D CAD model to the ProtoQuote automated online quoting system and you receive pricing, options and advice for improved mouldability within hours."

Gocycle's frame is made using magnesium; however, main mechanical parts, such as the rear suspension unit are made using a specially formulated nylon filled with long glass-fibres. The expertise to injection-mould this lightweight, strong material (which consists of 60 per cent glass), was provided by Protomold. Working closely with Karbon Kinetics, Protomold scrutinised the CAD geometry of all the components that required moulding. The information collected was entered into Protomold's in-house flow analysis software Protoflow, so that a visual prognosis of the injection moulding process could be established.

The company's engineering team then tested the different location points where the plastic enters the mould cavity (known as gates) and analysed the various pressure and temperature conditions required to achieve successful component moulding. At the end of the project Protomold had developed 47 individual injection-moulding tools, which were subsequently used to manufacture the required parts.