EUC Shell Design and Borrowing from the Automotive Industry

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Looking at some of the photos of the new Gotway MSuper V3, I was wondering whether there would be any advantages to moving to a unibody type design similar to how cars are made.  I believe most have an aluminum or metal alloy frame that is welded together and the body panels attached onto the outside.  I wonder whether an EUC would benefit from having an I-beam or square tube sort of setup that the wheel mounts to.  From there exterior panels could be attached and easily replaced if damaged.  

The design would have to make access easy to the control board and battery compartments, but being one solid structure (or maybe three bolted together parts) the underside could be weatherproofed and essentially one could ride it in rain as long as the water tight compartments are sealed properly.  Automobiles and motorcycles can travel in all sorts of weather - why can't our EUC's be made to the same standard?  If you've ever gone out in sunny weather only to be caught somewhere in a downpour, you'll know what I mean!  We should be able to hose down our wheels without doing a bunch of homemade mods like @EU GUY did to his ACM.  It should come like that from the factory, and looking at things, how difficult would it be?  I know cooling is always a concern, but there must be some way to simplify that without needing air directly passing over components? 

The Ninebot One has a magnesium alloy spine onto which plastic clamshells are attached and additional fenders put on the outside.  Is plastic the best to stick with, or would a more rugged space frame be something to consider with future designs?  Or does it come down to what is the cheapest and most durable in relation to the useful expected life expectancy of the wheel?  Or due to the frequency of crashes and accidents (looking at you @Dufman ) is the flexibility of plastic more ideal as a rigid frame would end up bending and distorting rather than bounce back to it's original place?

[OliverH]

You can't compare EUC business with automotive. Ther's no connection, no knowledge transfer - sad but true. They should send engineers for an internship/ work experience to automotive manufacturers.

 

[Duf]

12 hours ago, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said:

Looking at some of the photos of the new Gotway MSuper V3, I was wondering whether there would be any advantages to moving to a unibody type design similar to how cars are made.  I believe most have an aluminum or metal alloy frame that is welded together and the body panels attached onto the outside.  I wonder whether an EUC would benefit from having an I-beam or square tube sort of setup that the wheel mounts to.  From there exterior panels could be attached and easily replaced if damaged.  

The design would have to make access easy to the control board and battery compartments, but being one solid structure (or maybe three bolted together parts) the underside could be weatherproofed and essentially one could ride it in rain as long as the water tight compartments are sealed properly.  Automobiles and motorcycles can travel in all sorts of weather - why can't our EUC's be made to the same standard?  If you've ever gone out in sunny weather only to be caught somewhere in a downpour, you'll know what I mean!  We should be able to hose down our wheels without doing a bunch of homemade mods like @EU GUY did to his ACM.  It should come like that from the factory, and looking at things, how difficult would it be?  I know cooling is always a concern, but there must be some way to simplify that without needing air directly passing over components? 

The Ninebot One has a magnesium alloy spine onto which plastic clamshells are attached and additional fenders put on the outside.  Is plastic the best to stick with, or would a more rugged space frame be something to consider with future designs?  Or does it come down to what is the cheapest and most durable in relation to the useful expected life expectancy of the wheel?  Or due to the frequency of crashes and accidents (looking at you @Dufman ) is the flexibility of plastic more ideal as a rigid frame would end up bending and distorting rather than bounce back to it's original place?

Whatever type of plastic the Ninebot One uses, I have definitely tested it's impact resistance to the max.  It's hard to believe mine has no cracks yet although my side pads are torn up.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

8 minutes ago, Duf said:

It's hard to believe mine has no cracks yet although my side pads are torn up.

If your wheel isn't scuffed and your pads aren't torn, then you're not pushing your boundaries enough!