Abstract:
The global threat of depletion of fossil fuels is a major concern. In addition, the pollution due to vehicles in metro cities & urban areas is increasing continuously. However, adoption of traditional bicycle is low due to more fatigue required in cycling. Today the use of Electrical Folding Bicycle can help in reducing air pollution, enhancing the mobility of the elderly and lame and, when used by the able bodied, can prove a practical substitute for many car trips of less than 10 km. This paper delineates the design, fabrication and testing of an efficient electrical folding bicycle having high strength and light weight as a potential answer to this need. The primary purpose of this vehicle is to fold by reducing to 50% volumetric area for easy transportation. To operate the bicycle by electric d.c. motor running by led acid dry battery which would be charged by the electric current and transport its rider from one location to other in a single charge with 5 hours back-up time. Innovation is to design a foldable frame of Al6061 by joining four different folding joints for achieving folding and opening in hybrid mode as per rider's need. Advanced techniques of modelling and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) have been used to test the design of this model. A prototype was fabricated and tested to ensure the safety of the rider .
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