Intro
Emergency Water Distribution
In communities facing economic hardships, infrastructures for emergency relief are often unavailable to the general population. The Bollinger B2 electric vehicle features off-roading capabilities that can be leveraged during such a crisis to assist in water distribution, creating a platform for design opportunities.
This was a four-person group project and I was responsible for the design of the 400 gallon water tank, and corresponding handles for filling containers.
Skills
User Research
Design Sketching
Physical Modeling
Solidworks Modeling
Keyshot Rendering
Time
10 Weeks
Preface
Bollinger Motors Sponsorship
This project was sponsored by Bollinger Motors which provided funding for materials and access to a Bollinger B2 vehicle for measurements and prototyping. “An unstoppable Bollinger electric truck with a six foot bed, is capable of carrying 16-foot cargo through a patented full-vehicle-length passthrough with gates closed”
Vehicle Specs:
All Wheel Drive
Dual Motor
2 Speed, Hi/Lo Range Gearbox
10”-20” Adjustable Ground Clearance
200 Mile Range
The Challenge
Hinds County Faces Inequality
Hinds County in Jackson, MS lacks the proper infrastructure to deliver potable water at a large scale. When natural disasters affect the water treatment plants, its community members find themselves doing the heavy lifting when it comes to organization and distribution.
The Solution
Water Straight to Your Door
To fully utilize the Bollinger B2 truck’s high mobility, a fully self-supported water distribution system was designed to be housed and transported in the vehicle. Ensuring that water is always available for collection and distribution is crucial in the event that large-scale water access is unavailable. To solve for this dependency, the Bollinger system uses fire hydrant access around Hinds County.
Components of the System:
Hydrant hose + filtration system
Water storage tank + hoses for filling containers
2-gallon containers for households
Container carts to assist with distribution
General Ideation
General Product System Ideation
Initial ideation was done in conjunction with the system development, so concepts are not tied to one specific component. Concepts include those related to packaging, container storage, container transportation, water tank placement, and water distribution. Serving a large community quickly was the main priority during initial ideation. Concepts that focused on many water distribution touchpoints and high capacity for containers were explored.
Water Tank Development
After the system for our water delivery truck was finalized, my team divided up the necessary components so we could now focus our design efforts. I was tasked with the design of the 400-gallon water tank and any accessories necessary for this component. Regardless of form, the distribution of water and filling of containers had to be considered. Systems that allowed for easy access to filling devices and variable movement were explored. Final tank used a chevron form to move water towards access points.
Handle Development
An essential component of the water tank was the handle required for container filling. Ergonomics that complemented removal from the tank, insertion into the container, and comfortable filling were all key considerations. Initial form studies looked at incorporation of the Bollinger Motors form language and optimal size.
Fast, Seamless, Safe Filling
The tank and handles are designed with usability in mind and serve to function easily with use by the community members of Hinds County. Visual design follows the elegant Bollinger VBL.
Client Presentation
Click image for link to PDF
Project Reflection
Given that this was both my first group project done within a studio course, and the first sponsored project I have been a part of, I was able to successfully manage all aspects of the project. I clearly defined my own criteria for product development and made sure to work alongside my team members to address their criteria and considerations so that there were no faults in our system on all scales (system functionality and ease of use by those involved). As this was sponsored and developed with a hypothetical real-world application, I learned. a lot about external constraints and how to find creativity in conjunction with the bounds set by Bollinger Motors. The collaborative nature of this project also created dependencies on all fronts, providing me with the difficult challenge of making my design decisions within the greater context of our product system.