pure advance lighting | Pure Electric

An IP67 lighting signature for the Pure Advance: indicators the rider can’t hide, engineered from sketch to mass production in 9 months.

problem

Electric scooters are often seen as unsafe and low quality. Indicators, where fitted, sit on the handlebars, where the rider’s body hides them from behind, and rear indicators set close together make the signal unclear at night. More broadly, scooters are seen as toys rather than credible vehicles, which holds back adoption.

solution

A fully engineered, IP67, automotive-style pulsing indicator built into the footplate. It raised the perceived quality of the scooter and the safety of the rider, and gave the Pure Advance a lighting signature you can pick out on a dark street.

Nine months from first sketch to a mass-manufactured part. The lighting gave the Pure Advance its face, and because it sits in the footplate, it had to carry the rider too.

Finding the solution
Design, build, test, repeat. Concepts went from sketch to CAD to prototypes with SLA-printed lenses and Arduino control electronics, then to machined polycarbonate lenses with design-intent LEDs. Real use set the targets, such as being visible from 100 metres in bright sunlight, and testing was done quickly without specialised photometric equipment.

Verification
A structured programme checked the design against its safety, durability and performance requirements: light output and viewing angles, prototype build reviews, mechanical endurance testing, and tolerance and sealing refinements. Each iteration had to pass before the next began.

Engineering and delivery
Once the flowing LED signature was settled, drawing on premium automotive lighting, the engineering turned to strength, reliability and manufacturability. The indicator assembly also carries structural load, so it was designed and tested for thousands of cycles. Ultrasonic-welded sealing took it to IP67, and DFM and DFA were worked through with the contract manufacturer to optimise tooling, improve reliability and simplify assembly.

role: Project lead, employed at Pure Electric
year: 2021
timeframe: 9 months
tools: Siemens NX, Keyshot, SLA 3D Printing
category: detailed design