Polestar zero
Polestar zero is the most complete project that I have done during my course in the Master of Digital Product Modeling at ESDesign.
It is an electric sweeper cart, compact and highly versatile, designed for the renowned brand Polestar. Designed for urban maintenance, it is ideal for USW collection services, cleaning and gardening in historical centers, squares and areas of difficult access.
Type of project Final Master’s Project
Team Individual work
Project manager Alessandro Calogero
A personal mobility vehicle
The proposed topic was the design of a personal mobility vehicle (PMV), which is a vehicle with 1 or more wheels equipped with a single seat and powered exclusively by electric motors. Its maximum speed must be between 6 and 25 km/h. In this case, the project was oriented towards the field of urban environment cleaning.
Â
The brand chosen to inspire this project is Polestar. It is a brand of electric cars with a careful design, high performance and cutting-edge technology. In addition, its philosophy as a company is based on the use of technology to accelerate the change towards electric and sustainable mobility.
Context Analysis
Urban environment cleaning
Cleaning jobs in our cities are really hard for several reasons: working conditions, working hours, physical effort and, above all, the social stigma
associated with it. Undoubtedly, it is a very thankless job. It is hours and hours moving from one place to another in the city, picking up garbage from the streets and often carrying a heavy cart with their cleaning tools and garbage cans.
What is proposed to improve these working conditions?
Concept
An electric sweeping cart, compact and with a great versatility, that allows to speed up the cleaning tasks with a more comfortable way of displacement.
Development
After an exhaustive analysis of the general specifications of this type of cleaning carts, simple sketches were created until the final design was found. This is slightly inspired by traditional carts, as it has a rigid base and a similar bar structure.
Technical Solution
Technical Solution
1x Bin 120L
2x Bin 40L
This vehicle is designed to transport a waste volume of up to 200 liters, distributed in a large bin (120 L) and two smaller bins (40 L).
Â
The cart’s metal bar structure embraces the containers in such a way as to prevent their movement and keep them in their place during transport. In addition, both types are positioned on the cart in a way that allows them to be placed and removed comfortably and quickly. It would only be necessary to unhook the sling to remove the larger capacity bin from the front, while for the other two it would be enough to grab the handle and pull them out from the top.
Technical Solution
Technical Solution
On the other hand, the Polestar zero has the capacity to hold up a maximum of four different tools thanks to the hangers located on the sides of the vehicle.
Technical Solution
Adapted wheels
Its resistant 12″ tires are perfectly adapted to the different terrain conditions that we can find in our cities. Its suspension allows for a more comfortable ride when crossing cobblestone floors or overcoming potholes and curbstones.
Technical Solution
Technical Solution
Functional handlebar
The handlebar of the Polestar zero, with its clean and simple design, allows to control the vehicle in a comfortable and intuitive way. On the right side is only the button that functions as an accelerator, while on the left side we have both the brake and the buttons for the headlights and horn. In the central part is attached the screen through the stem, so that it moves along with the handlebars.
Under the handlebars we find the handbrake, on the left side, and the gearshift, on the opposite side.
Technical Solution
Further down, at the back there is a control panel where the protagonist is a type two connector. When the batteries are in charging state a green light surrounds it. Also, on its left side there is a battery level indicator.
Â
On the right side, we find the power button of the vehicle with its corresponding light to indicate its status and a hole to accommodate the key.
Technical Solution
Two LED spotlights are located on the front of the cart’s steel base to improve visibility when working at night.
Also on the base, but at the rear, there are two other lower-power LED lights that allow other vehicles and pedestrians to locate the vehicle.
Technical Solution
Usability
Ergonomic driving
The design of the Polestar zero is focused on a driving adapted to work. The ease of getting into the car allows for much more agile mobility. Moreover, the user can at all times adopt a comfortable driving position, including the possibility of transporting it on foot in the event that the vehicle’s battery is completely consumed.
Usability
Versatile equipment
The cart is mainly oriented towards sweeping work, however, it could also be used for other tasks (cleaning or not) that require agile mobility and the transport of diverse work tools.
Â
It could also be used by city gardeners, for example, to transport pruning tools, rakes, brooms or a hedge trimmer, as can be seen in the following images.
Â
The two drawers at the rear provide extra storage capacity for smaller tools or other objects.
Usability
On the left side of the vehicle there is a small lockable cabinet that can be used to store the worker’s personal belongings.
Usability
Customization
Customization for every city
The colors of the Polestar zero allow the harmonious integration of the symbology and colors of any city or company. There are three customization zones: the two sides of the box and the back.
