Enclosure Design for Electric Motorbike Battery Pack
Transportation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions in Africa, accounting for 40% of the continent’s total. Without mitigation measures, this sector will emit 7.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year by 2050, which would have serious consequences for the climate and the environment. Alongside this, motorcycle taxi drivers face the challenge of maintaining their income as gas prices rise.
Ampersand aims to address both pollution and taxi driver income challenges with e-motorcycle solutions. These can boost taxi drivers’ annual earnings by 35% while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. Ampersand’s latest solution aims to achieve this while minimizing the disruption to driver routines with an improved battery pack enclosure design that improves the user experience, durability of the battery pack enclosure, and swapping mechanism.
This project aimed to assist the Ampersand team in the design development of a new battery enclosure, mounting mechanism, and locking mechanism. A holistic approach was required, accounting for manufacturing considerations and user experience for drivers and swap station service providers.
The Fellow researched and developed design ideas for various aspects of the battery enclosure and its related mechanisms, such as cooling and swapping. The battery cell arrangement was also optimized to reduce the required enclosure volume, and detailed designs were developed for assembly. Mounting and quick-release mechanisms for the battery enclosure were creatively conceptualized with the team, and suitable manufacturing methods were determined.
