A Research Report on the Sustainability of Electric Mobility Scooters

This research paper investigates the sustainability of electric mobility scooters, emphasizing the application of circular economy principles to minimize environmental impact. It explores the components of these scooters, including chassis, wheels, suspension, electrical parts (motors, batteries, circuit boards), and miscellaneous parts like tires and upholstery, detailing how each can be recycled and reintegrated into the manufacturing process. The paper outlines the benefits of a circular economy, such as conserving resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing waste. It also examines the manufacturing processes of the scooters, from chassis construction to interior assembly and the environmental impacts associated with both the use and disposal of scooter components. The paper concludes by discussing the uses of mobility scooters for the disabled and the importance of sustainable practices to extend their lifespan and reduce pollution. The paper highlights the potential of recycling processes like pyrolysis and the need for safe disposal methods to mitigate environmental risks. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the sustainability challenges and opportunities within the electric mobility scooter industry.

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SUSTAINABILITY OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY SCOOTERS FOR THE DISABLED
A Research Paper on Mobility Scooters By
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INTRODUCTION
This research paper is about the sustainability of mobile electric scooters. It explains
how the concept of circular economy could be applied to the company and the products. Electric
scooters are electric vehicles with two to three wheels powered by electricity. The electricity is
kept on the rechargeable batteries that drives many electric motor. Circular economy aims to
redefine the services and products to design the wastes out and reduce the negative impacts. The
circular economy is the environmental sustainability approach known for the creation of
economic models that generate no negative impacts on the environment. To achieve the models
that are environmentally and economically sustainable the circular economy focuses on system
thinking, design thinking, recycling and product life extension.
They mobility scooters are used by the persons with disability for movement though
some do not protect the users from the adverse weather conditions. The scooters have optimized
seats for the disabled and provide greater comfort making it comfortable to ride. The components
used in the scooters can also be made in circular economy where the scooter parts don't become
wasted but are recycled and returned back to the system. Some of the components are
manufactured by the suppliers like the electric parts and others manufactured by the company.
The main types of the scooter components are electrical components, structural parts, and
miscellaneous parts (Agency, 2010).
The structural components of an electric mobility scooter
The structural parts of the scooter that are manufactured and can be recycled to attain
the circular economy, they are chassis, wheels, and suspensions and the seat assembly. Chassis is
the physical frame of the automobile. It is the internal frame of the scooter and supports it in the

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use and construction. It is the underpart of the scooter where the body is mounted and if the gear
like transmission and wheels are included the assembly is known as the rolling chassis. Chassis
can be made sustainable by:
Collecting and sorting; the first step of recycling the chassis which is made up of the metal is the
collection of the metals products and then sorting by removing any compound that may be
attached to the chassis. The chassis is sorted to the rubbish skips, ready for the transportation to
the scrap metal super collectors for the processing (Authority, 2015).
Shredding and crushing; the chassis parts are put into the processing plants to crush the metal
parts into compactors and can be handled easily on the conveyor belts. The mill's hammer then
shreds the chassis into small pieces.
Separation; the chassis shredded is placed in the magnetic drum that separates the metals of
ferrous and nonferrous ones. Materials that are not metal like the plastics are removed by
blowing hot air through the metals shredded and sucking out the impurities like the vacuum
(Beriatos, 2014).
Melting and purification; the chassis are then melted in the large furnaces and every metal have
the furnace designed specially depending on their properties. The furnaces have burners of
efficient fuel regeneration to reduce the amount of energy and the impact on the environment.
They are made of jet stirrers making sure the composition and even temperature by promoting
the circulation of metals within the furnace. The process of stirring ensures the highest quality of
chassis while in the molten state. The chassis is purified by the eddy currents and electrolysis
before pounded into dissimilar moulds depending on the metals type and cooled.

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The benefits of circular economy of the scooter are that the energy and natural resources are
being conserved, reducing the greenhouse gases, water pollution by reducing the dumping to
landfill, recycling. It also saves the energy that could be used to manufacture a new chassis from
the raw materials (Bompan, 2018).
Wheels are circular components that rotate an axle bearing. The wheels with axles allow the
heavy materials to be easily moved facilitating transportation and movement supporting a load
and labor machines. The circular economy of the wheels can starts with the collection where all
the used wheel of the mobile electric scooter are assembled, sorted by removing the tires and
rims. The metallic part that is rim is shredded, separated, melted and then purified to ensure that
it does not contain impurities (Brebbia, 2017).
Suspension; it the collection of shock absorbers and springs, it can be the rear and front
suspension. The suspension of the electric scooter insulates the vehicle and the rider from the
shock of the road and keeps the wheels in contact with the ground and gives the control of the
vehicle to the rider. When designing the seat of the scooter, it is rotated forty-five degrees to
outgress and ingress the rider. The foldable armrest is made by having rotated at ninety degrees.
The suspension and seat assembly can be collected from the old scooters, assorted, melted and
purified (Cavani, 2010).
Electrical parts of an electric mobility scooter
The electrical parts used to manufacture the electric and mobile scooters comprise the
motors, circuit boards, wires and batteries. The electric motor of the scooter converts the
electrical energy to mechanical energy. The electric generator can also be used to mechanical
energy to electrical energy. The magnetic field and winding currents interact to give out force.

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When practising the circular economy of these motors of the electric mobility scooter, all the old
scooters are collected, sorted then returned to the manufacturing industries to be recycled
(Commons, 2010).
The battery of the scooter is broken up into pieces and then placed in the bay where the
heavy materials and lead will be at the bottom whereas the plastics will float. At this point, the
pieces of polyvinyl are scooped and liquid is taken out leaving the heavy metals and lead. The
molten lead is poured into the moulds ingot and the impurities will float on the top of the molten
lead. The impurities are scraped off and the molten lead is left to cool and removed from the
molten sand sent to the manufacturers of the batteries where they will be remelted and used in
the production of new batteries for the electric mobility scooter. The switches, wires and circuit
board which are also very important in the scooters can be collected from the old and dumped
scooter. They are sorted by removing unwanted materials and then send back to the
manufacturers to recycle them back to the system to be used in the production of the new
scooters (Dastbaz, 2016).
Miscellaneous parts of an electric mobility scooter
The tires are used to support the whole scooter and can be recycled when wear or
damage. The damaged tires can be collected and sorted then moved to another stage to be
shredded to be used as landfill replacing the materials for construction and to cover the sites of
the landfill. Pyrolysis is used to reprocess the old and damaged tires into gas fuels, and low-grade
black carbon to be used in manufacturing the new tire. The old tires can also be used to
manufacture the cement and rubber. Transmission is found in the scooters and acts as a lubricant
to keep the moving parts stable making the gear shift smoothly (Dastbaz, 2016). The dirty
transmission fluids can be replaced by the fresh ones and should not be disposed into the landfill

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or mixed with other materials because of it dangerous. The used ones can be reused as the
lubricants to the electric mobility scooter to ensure that the movable parts are effective.
Upholstery provides the scooter seats with the padding, and leather cover, they are to be
collected, sported and transferred the manufactures to recycle (Everett, 2012).
The life circle of the electric mobility scooter after the materials and energy flow have been
made circular can be described by the processes explained below:
Composition
The electric mobility scooter is composed of the electric parts that are manufactured
by the suppliers and assembled in the factory like motors, wire, switches, batteries and circuit
boards. The ones manufactured in the factories include; chassis, wheel, suspension, transmission,
seat assembly, bodywork, tire and upholstery. The mobile scooter for disabling has three to five
and the flat area for the feet and the handlebars in front to turn the steerable wheels. The seat
may swivel to allow access when the handlebars blocked the front. The scooters are powered by
the battery, they have batteries are on the scooter and are charged onboard or the separate battery
charger unit from the standard power of electricity (Walker, 2018).
The tiller reverse direction and controls the speed is the column for steering placed in the
front of the scooter. The tiller may also have other parts like speed limiter, lightning controls
when they are used at night the signals are turned. The switch is used to control the reverse and
forward direction. The electric mobility scooters assist people with the problem of mobility
around the world. The wheels with axles allow the heavy materials to be easily moved
facilitating transportation and movement supporting a load and labour machines (Silberstein,
2017).

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The process of manufacturing the electric mobility scooters
Chassis; the scooter is made from the ground and the frame forms the base where the body rests
and other components follow. The frame is put on the assembly line to prevent the shifting when
moving down the line. The components like the suspensions, gearbox, wheel drums, braking
systems, rear axles and the components of steering box are installed substantially (Michae,
2016).
Body; the pan floor is the largest part where many braces and panels will be bolted and welded.
The scooter shell is built as the body moves the assembly line. The front and the pillars of the
rear door and the panels are assembled in the same manner.
Paints; the body must pass serious inspections and the scooter shell passes through the white and
brightly lit room to be wiped by the inspectors using the soaked cloths in the oil. The inspectors
are able to see the defects in the metal sheet body panel because of the oil. The shell also passes
through the cleaning station where the residual of oil and contaminants are cleaned. The scooter
then proceeds to the drying station and through the electronically charged bath of the undercoat
paint that covers the body shell and the coats acts as the surface of the substrate where the top
coat paint attaches (MacArthur, 2012).
Interior assembly; after painting, the scooter passes to the assembly area where the workers
assemble all the systems of wiring, seat, wheel, motor, tires and brakes. After this, the mating
process occurs where the workers will get the final trim of the battery, anti-freeze and tyres. The
scooter then is stated, the motor is edited, the tires balanced and the charging systems examined.
Environmental impacts of electrical mobility scooter

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The electric mobility scooters are environmentally friendly since the electricity don't
require the burning of the fossils fuels which pollutes the environment. The scooter should be
used effectively to lengthen its lifespan. Some of the parts of the electric mobility scooters
should be disposed of safely since they can pollute the environment where they are many like
tires. The process of recycling most of the parts being pyrolysis is effective since the parts are
burnt with the presence of little or no oxygen hence little pollution. Some of the processes of
recycling are also dangerous since gas of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide can be produced
which can cause global warming, climate change and ozone layer depletion (Manna, 2011).
Uses of mobility scooter
They mobility scooters are used by the persons with disability for movement though
some do not protect the users from the adverse weather conditions. The scooters have optimized
seats for the disabled and provide greater comfort making it comfortable to ride.
Sustainability of mobility scooter
Most of the parts of the electric mobility scooters can be recycled to manufacture new
artefacts. The tire can be melted to the molten state and used to manufacture other things like
rubber. The old rim can be collected, recycled, and used to manufacture other new electric
mobility scooters. Other parts of the scooters can be reused in the company by selling as a
second hand to the physically disabled people without dismantling the whole scooter. The parts
of the electric scooter that cannot be recycled and are non-bio degradable should be replaced
with the biodegradable materials that are friendly to the environment to reduce the negative
impacts and enhancing sustainable development (Brebbia, 2017).

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The principle of circular economy aims at removing and eliminating the disposal of the
materials that can be used again or recycled for sustainability. The product can be returned to the
company to be dismantled for the reuse or recycled and after dismantling the whole electric
mobility scooters the electric parts like switches should be returned to the manufactures
Short-term and Long-term steps towards a sustainable system
For the sustainability of the system to be known, the company should know the long
term and short terms steps for the miscellaneous, electrical and structural parts used to
manufacture the electronic mobility scooters for the disabled. The sustainable systems are the
management and coordination of the social, financial and concerns of the environment to ensure
the responsible and ethical success (Michae, 2016). The short term and long term steps that can
be taken for every component used in the electric mobility scooters to ensure sustainable systems
of the company are:
The short-term steps can be the strategic communication for sustainability both internally
and externally. Raising awareness about the sustainability of the scooter components, both
structural, electrical and miscellaneous is very important. Raising awareness will include
educating the people on how they can dispose the damaged scooters and the importance of their
actions. The buyers of the scooters can also be urged to return the scooters when they are old so
that they can be dismantled and remanufactured or reuse the parts. The people can be awarded
according to the number of the damaged scooters they returned to the company, hence many of
them will tend to collect the parts, scraps so that they can get the reward and this enhance
sustainability and circular economy (living, 2016).

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The company should also choose the team leader which is a short term step to accompany
the ongoing process of promoting sustainability of the electric scooter. The leader can be setting
the regular meeting and also giving the reports regularly on the process is going. The incentive
system will be then be established to reward the performers of sustainability of the team or single
employees. The policies should also be set and the penalties are given to anyone found
mismanaging the damaged electrical mobility scooters. There should be specific companies
manufacturing and recycling the scooters to reduce the pollution (Paul, 2013)
The implementation of the strategies which is the long term step is also important to
enhance the sustainability of the electric mobility scooter components. It begins with the
elaboration of the new policies and regulation, codes of the conducts, signs and the posters with
the information regarding the sustainability of the electric mobility scooters. The implementation
process continues with the revised screening and contracts with the supplies and the employees
and also training them so that everyone is familiar with the subject (Lacy, 2016). The company
should have precise objectives and after the implementation, monitoring and evaluation is a very
important long term step. People should travel to see if really the scooter parts are disposed of
safely and if the people are complying with policies. Some of the long-term steps that can be
used by the company include the innovation of the technologies to make their work easier
collaboration with other green building economies promoting sustainability systems, and also
greening the chain of supply (Haggar, 2010).
Conclusion
The electrical mobility scooters are good since they help the disabled people who are
unable to walk. The circular economy is very important since it ensures that nothing goes at
wastes by ensuring that the components of the electric mobility scooter are in the endless flow

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from the manufacturers to the users and again back to the manufacturers for recycling. A circular
economy is an approach to the environmental sustainability characterized by the economic
model's creation where no negative impact on the environment is seen. The sustainable system is
also discussed and the short term and long term steps of ensuring sustainability of the electric
mobility scooter like education, creating the awareness, collaboration, implementation and
process improvement.

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Appendix I: Phases of a sustainable system of the company

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Appendix II: Steps of recycling a battery of an electric mobility scooter

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Appendix III: The body of chassis for Mobility Scooter

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Appendix IV: The design of electric mobility scooter

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Appendix V: The Life-cycle of electric mobility scooter components