Sustainability 8 Manufacturing of Electric Mobility Scooter for the Disable

System Sustainability 1
MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY SCOOTER
A Research Paper on Sus By
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System Sustainability 2
INTRODUCTION
This research paper is about the implementation of sustainability in the manufacturing of
the electric mobility scooters for the disabled to replace the traditional linear flow of material and
energy without any reuse or recycling. There is need to investigate the extent to which the
concept of The Circular Economy can be applied to the company and its products for the
purposes of future planning and business model of the company to enhance industrial
sustainability. Some of the components that are used in the manufacture of electric mobility
scooters for the disabled include the miscellaneous parts which include tyres, transmission,
bodywork, and upholstery, the electric parts which include motors, switches, wires, circuit
boards, and batteries, and also structural parts which include chassis, wheels, suspension, and
seat assembly.
Some of the topics discussed in this report include a description of the components used
to make the mobility scooter, description of the future sustainable industrial system, and the short
term and long term steps towards the sustainable system.
Product Components
Majority of these components used in the manufacture of mobility scooter are
manufactured within the company such as structural and miscellaneous components, while others
are manufactured by the suppliers and then sold to the company to be assembled to make the
mobility scooter such as electrical components (Garrido, 2017). The components used in the
manufacture of the electric mobility scooter for the disabled can be categorized into structural,
electrical, and miscellaneous components as explained below:

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Structural Components
Majority of these structural components are manufactured by the company such as
chassis, wheels, suspension, and seat assembly. The number of wheels used in the manufacture
of the mobility scooter depends on the design of the vehicle being made. The wheels are used as
the front, rear, and dummy in the vehicle before covering them with tires. The material flow of
wheels can be made circular through recycling or reusing them after acquiring them from old and
dumped vehicles. The recycling process of the wheels begins by first sorting them by removing
the tires and then remaining with only the metallic rims. The next process of making the flow of
wheels to be circular is reusing them to make new wheels by painting or shredding them through
crushing and breaking them into tiny pieces for melting and purification (Accountability,
2011).
The melting of these rims can be done in the company by the use of huge furnace and
resultant molten can be used to design other new wheels for new mobility scooters. The energy
used in the process of melting recycled metal is less than the energy needed to make new rims
from raw materials. The next structural components are chassis and suspensions systems. The
chassis is an internal structural framework which supports the transmission system, steering
system, and wheels. The types of chassis that are normally used in the manufacture of different
designs of mobility scooter include backbone tube, perimeter frame, underbone, and unibody
chassis. The types of materials used in the manufacture of chassis include magnesium, titanium
aluminium, and steel (Benton, 2015).
The material flow of chassis can be made circular through recycling or reusing them after
acquiring them from old and dumped vehicles by the company. The recycling process of the
chassis system begins by first sorting it by removing the handle, wheels, suspensions system, and

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transmission system, and remaining with only the metallic skeleton. The next process of making
the material flow of chassis to be circular is reusing them to make new wheels by painting or
shredding it through crushing and breaking the metallic parts into tiny pieces for melting and
purification. The melting of these metal chassis can be done in the company by the use of huge
furnace and resultant molten can be used to design another new chassis system for new mobility
scooters (Bergema, 2016).
The next structural system is the suspension system which is a collection of shock
absorbers and springs. The types of suspension system used in the different designs of mobility
scooter include rear and front suspension system. The seating assembly is specifically designed
for the disabled to provide comfort making it comfortable and easy to ride. The metallic springs
used in suspension and seat assembly can be recycled and reused just like other metallic
components above through shredding them by crushing and breaking the metallic parts into tiny
pieces for melting and purification (Brears, 2018).
The process of purification is performed to ensure that the final product is free from
contamination and of high quality. The common method that can be used for purification by the
company is electrolysis process. After the purification of the melted metal components, the
molten can then be solidified into any required shapes which can be other structural components
that are metallic (Charter, 2018).
Electrical Parts
Since the company only deals with the manufacture of metallic components, the electrical
components are acquired through suppliers who a specialized in the manufacture of the electrical
components such as motors, switches, circuit boards, and batteries. The motors are used in