A multi-criteria parametric evaluation of the refuelling strategies for scooters

Being friendly to the environments, electric scooters are promoted in particular by many countries as part of their environmental protection policy. However, like all commercial products, the electric scooter is economically driven. Even though the government can set favoured conditions at the beginning of its development, the product still has to survive by its own profit. A framework of whole-life cost/benefit parametric evaluation from the user's point of view is proposed here for the selection of the best refuelling strategy for electric scooters. Instead of traditional survey weightings, this approach employs physical links between design parameters and system performance costs. According to the evaluation, the most favourite strategy is the mode of exchanging batteries at gas stations. However, all modes of electric scooters have deficits relative to the gasoline system. The inferiority is mainly attributable to the limitation of battery performance, and expected benefits of environmental protection are not realized at this point in time. Sensitivity analyses are also conducted to demonstrate dynamic effects of parameters, such as the product lifetime, fuel price and user time value, on the final decision. This methodology is flexible in response to condition changes by its parametric nature. It is able to provide more insights and dynamic evaluation results for scooter users, product engineers or policy-makers alike to make individual decisions based on their own unique conditions.