The project proposal is to improve the efficiency of Neuron’s electric scooter. Briefly, this is a plan to develop algorithms to increase the safety of electric scooter routes. An algorithm for the optimal distribution of electric scooters around the city, preventing their concentration, will increase transport accessibility and expand the city’s appearance. The built-in route planner will be able to take into account the parameters of safety, convenience, and colourfulness of the road. In addition to a comfortable trip, a person can choose a trip with a historical load – drive past historical places or places with the most beautiful views. In addition, the generated driving profile of the user would be able to analyse and evaluate the user’s driving style. Analysis of the trip data, for example, the frequency of using the gas and brakes, speed changes may not indicate the most careful driving style. Perhaps such a driver should also slow down the scooter.
The virtual assistant will support the user to optimize the route make the trip more comfortable and safer. It will help one choose a short and fast route, avoid underground or elevated crossings, go around places where accidents most often occur, or there are many obstacles on the way. An algorithm that allows one to change the speed depending on traffic factors dynamically: the number of pedestrians, the accident rate of the route, the quality of the road surface, and others. The resources are not maximumly used and therefore, there is the need to put new ideas into work (Neuron Mobility, 2022). In addition, one should talk about cooperation with other companies to stabilize the charge, given the programs for automating electric scooters. The project requires very fine and precise tuning of the scooter and its electronics but will allow the scooter to slow down during rush hour with heavy pedestrian traffic, for example, in the area of popular bus stops.
Project Aim, Objectives, and Key Stakeholders
The main goal of the project is to increase the efficiency of e-scooters in order to fill the gaps found in the market. They need to be modified to improve their performance, as well as to make them more profitable and interesting for customers. Therefore, it is necessary to study the production process and restructure it to complete the task (Sorokina, 2019). For any enterprise, increasing efficiency means increasing profits, which is possible only with the proper workflow construction and the optimal distribution and use of resources. Ultimately, solving the problem of increasing the efficiency of an enterprise means increasing its competitiveness in market economy.
The subject of the study is the economic efficiency of the enterprise, as a system of systematically organized economic, technical and organizational measures aimed at achieving the set goal and coordinated in terms of goals and resources. The purpose of the work is to conduct a systematic study on improving the efficiency of the organization’s activities, developing recommendations to achieve increased efficiency. It is necessary to solve the following tasks to achieve this goal:
- consider the methodological aspects of assessing the effectiveness of the enterprise;
- to assess the financial and economic activities of the selected object of study;
- to carry out a feasibility study to improve the efficiency of the enterprise;
- evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed activities.
The top priority Neuron has been and remains the safety of users, so it is important for them to search for new ideas in the field of security, service efficiency, and transport accessibility. Scooters have already become a full-fledged part of the transport system, and more than 50% of trips on them perform a transport function (Neuron Mobility, 2022). Competent analysis of travel scenarios will increase efficiency, which is the main significance of the proposal, and contribute to greater mobility development in the city.
Improved services will further the company’s goal of being the first choice for most residents in the area. The CEO has also set the goal of being the number one choice for at least 60% of the region’s residents. The budget allocated by the company and partners was determined to implement the project and achieve the goals, which provides for the funding for the project. The total grant for the proposed plan is $250,000 and expires on 09.30.2022. The project must be completed by the end of August 2022 so that all project costs can be paid before the end of the provided funding.
Project Strategy and Scope of Work
Software development is of great importance for the creation and implementation of algorithms to improve the efficiency of electric scooters. The development strategy includes five main stages:
- Specification stage – taking into account the requirements of consumers, drawing up a system specification;
- Development stage – defining the structure of the system and drawing up specifications for subsystems;
- Implementation phase – development of modules;
- Module testing stage – each module is tested separately;
- Delivery stage – transfer of the system to the buyer.
Another goal is to use a full-wave rectifier to stabilize the charge to drive the motor. Therefore, the engine will be in continuous motion due to the stabilized charge. Neuron should also partner with other companies such as Spin to create dedicated e-scooter charging points given to charging Neuron e-scooters (Boiarynova, 2020). E-scooter optimization is necessary to improve operational efficiency, such as developing tracking time integrating data, which can show the milestone and the probability of failure when using the product. Therefore, Neuron should use such tips to improve the efficiency of their e-scooters in order to gain a competitive edge in the market.
In addition, to stabilize the use of the provided product, it is necessary to analyse the average statistical data about customers. For example, an increase in the mobility of a city (or area) will occur as a result of the description of the most popular routes used for traveling on electric scooters. Further key descriptions of the strategies and scope of work are provided in Table 1.
Table 1 Project Strategy and Scope of Work
Team and Its Selection Justification
The director of the company provides the necessary managerial skills, as he or she is the main switcher of the company. Each of the other employees must perform their duties under the direction of the manager. He or she must oversee all departments of Neuron. The executive assistant provides the necessary assistance to the manager since the firm is large so that all processes go well and without confusion. He or she has the right to take over the role of manager when the latter is absent.
Specialists/engineers provide faster information exchange in the environment, networking, as well as automation of some processes in the Neuron enterprise. Repair of any malfunctioning telecommunications and information systems, as well as the development of the necessary system programs that are necessary for the best possible operation of the Neuron enterprise. The department also works closely with engineers developing electrically driven motors.
The project manager introduces new ideas to the firm and seeks to promote inventions and innovations aimed at improving the business. The accountant is responsible for ensuring that all arithmetic and logical calculations relating to Neuron’s capital are done well. The accounting department is responsible for all misunderstandings related to the firm’s capital and other documents related to transactions. The general controller will mainly control the operating personnel other than the management department. It is a universal controller for almost all departments. The General Director works closely with the General Controller and also deals with personnel management. The director of foreign affairs is responsible for clients operating from other countries.
The training manager organizes frequent training sessions for employees to be trained in modern trading tools to increase productivity at a minimal cost. Must watch the declining business trend closely and provide the necessary guidance. The consultant is responsible for dealing with clients who will need guidance when they seek services from the Neuron facility. His work aims to ensure that the customer is not confused or misled by automated processes in the company. Handypersons provide customer service and obtain the necessary goods: deals with delivery cases to customers. Figure 1 depicts the leaders and participants of the e-scooter improvement project.
Resources
Important for the implementation of the project is the hiring of programmers to create software. Information technology experts will create new software to track e-scooters and analyse their usage (Abouelela, Al Haddad, and Antinou, 2021). It is necessary to provide samples of electric scooters for their improvement, testing their suitability, and troubleshooting. Ultracapacitors are included in the list of resources to provide optimal charging to drive the e-scooter’s electric motor. The old batteries will be abandoned; therefore, Neuron will use advanced batteries to improve the stored electric power for e-scooter motors (Hollingsworth, Copeland, and Johnson, 2019). The management department at Neuron will need to negotiate and collaborate with other firms such as Spin. It will allow e-scooters to be charged at different locations as they move.
Cost Elements
Based on the purchase of all necessary materials, a budget was approved regarding the improvements to be implemented in the products, e-scooters. Included were ultracapacitors, new raw materials for making e-scooters, batteries, new software, hiring programmers, charging specific partner companies, and other resources. Table 2 presents the total prices with the listed cost elements.
Table 2. Cost Elements
Proposed Timeline
The project must be completed within the next six months; the stages of work are presented in the schedule in Table 3.
Risks and Risk Management Plan
Since the project aims to automate the product, there is a risk of high-performance costs for electric scooters. It can also be affected by ultracapacitors, which put a heavy strain on the battery. Thus, the level of costs for optimizing the battery of scooters can increase. Table 4 presents the possible risks associated with the implementation of the project and their management plan.
Table 4. Risks and Risk Management Plan
Reference List
Abouelela, M., Al Haddad, C. and Antoniou, C. (2021) ‘Are e-scooters parked near bus stops? findings from Louisville, Kentucky’, Findings, 5(8), pp.11-19.
Boiarynova, K. (2020) ‘Uncertainty and risks in managing the investment-innovative projects implementation of enterprises’, Ekonomika ta derzhava, (2), p.4.
Hollingsworth, J., Copeland, B. and Johnson, J. (2019) ‘Are e-scooters polluters? The environmental impacts of shared dockless electric scooters’, Environmental Research Letters, 14(8), p.084031.
Neuron Mobility. (2022) Neuron trials the world’s most sophisticated e-scooter with a range of ‘smart sensors’ to drive e-scooter Safety. [online] GlobeNewswire news room.
Sorokina, A. (2019) How to improve the user experience and efficiency of public city bikes and scooters with data…? (online) Medium.