MAINTAINABILITY ANALYSIS OF A BATTERY FOR A PERSONAL TRANSPORTER

Personal transporter (PT) started to catch world's attention by the introduction of
Segway in 2001, which has been promoted as a major invention that could change the
way human move from one point to another. Although it generally provides a new
dimension of cleaner technology and gives a clever solution to traffic congestion in urban
areas, the cost in using a personal transporter is very much higher when compared to the
cost of using other vehicles, which significantly affect its popularity. The ability of aPT
to be maintained as it is originally intended, or maintainability, has a significant influence
on the cost incurred in using the PT. A major component of the PT that requires high
maintainability is the battery. The objective of this report is to conduct an analysis of the
maintainability of the PT' s battery and thus provide guidance to the PT designer on the
best battery to be used for specific applications. To meet the objective, the author has
done a research and also gathers all the required data in order to do a simulation for the
battery, based on data available. The analysis on the PT will be based on a reference PT,
and the result achieved will be used to compare the performance of the batteries stated. It
is found that Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery is the best battery for aPT, based on
the data gathered from this project. This report will help PT designer to choose the best
battery for the PT itself.