Dirus: Snowmobile Design

The ultimate lightweight electric single-ski snowmobile design.

"Dirus"

Canis dirus, "fearsome dog", is one of the most famous prehistoric carnivores in North America in ice age. It was about 25% heavier than the modern gray wolf with larger teeth, greater shearing ability and strongest bite force of any known Canis species.

Concept

Dirus has the benefit of ATV, dirt bike and snowmobile into one.

Combined with the current trend of extreme sports and different competition venues for those active players pursuit thrills for fun. Dirus has brilliant appearance, lightweight structure and high electric output power to allow the user to easily meet the demand.

Design & Spec

Flexibility

A modular system has been implemented which allows the user to change the front ski to a wheel for use on other terrain or weather conditions.

Frame Design

In addition to the utilization of an electric engine to achieve a lighter gross weight, the engine itself has been turned into a part of the chassis and does not require any framework for support. To strengthen the structure, we’ve used an external locking point which connects the upper and lower rocker to the chassis.

Suspension Design

We’ve taken into consideration environmental terrain and conditions unlike flat roads, so in addition to dual-fork shock absorbers and a central rear shock for the body, the front skid has also been given shock absorbers which have been applied to the frame for maximum maneuverability.

Process

During this 8 month project, we have done sketches, 3D model, 1:5 scale model, full scale model from scratch in 2012.

Team

Ka-Wai Hung

UX/ Industrial Designer

NYC, US

Jing-Hung Liao

Transportation Designer

Taipei, Taiwan