Bloque
Accessible Green Transportation
the mission
Design a residential Electric Vehicle Charger whose installation is easy and simple.
year
2020
my role
Basic mechanical design, part assembly, and part detailing (material thickness, drafts, part tolerances, molding considerations, fasteners, or fastening methods).
The internals of the product is confidential until the product is in the public domain.
Challenges
After examining the issues with ten existing EV chargers, I've identified five significant concerns that I'd like to address in my design.
Screwing
More tool-required operation is required, which increases the chance of mis-installation.
Too many parts
The user might lose a part and not be able to assemble it properly.
assembly
User will be less likely to put things together successfully.
Not durable
The pull strength from the handle and plastic aging, can break the product.
Too minimalistic
The user will easily use the product incorrectly if the design doesn't guide the correct behavior.
Objectivess
Simplicity
Context-related
Easy assembly
Design for Manufacturing
Mechanical design
Simple and clean design
The shape and location of the LED light help to guide the user’s hand under it. The roof around the holster area prevents rain and provides for good user interaction.
Better design, better experience
This concept provides a better and simpler user experience: an intuitive form factor, easier assembly, and less work required during manufacturing, which creates a more durable product.
Less is more
The holster is snapped on the back of the housing, to transfer all of the weight and pull force, from the handle. To improve the product style, a thin plastic piece that has different colors/textures/or finishes, can be designed to be riveted onto the back of the holster.
Only one screw is needed to assemble the front and back pieces, which provides a better design so the back section holds the weight of the charging handle
The hinge rod is locked in between the geometry on the back housing, creating a clean look and strong connection among the 3 pieces.
The cable catcher prevents the cables from sliding down with only one screw.
