The development of an electric cargo vehicle
(2026) MMKM10 20261Innovation
- Abstract
- This master’s thesis presents the development of an electric cargo vehicle adapted to the urban, infrastructural and socioeconomic conditions of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The project was conducted in collaboration with Eco Delivery, a Bolivian last mile logistics company seeking a sustainable and locally manufacturable transport solution capable of supporting urban delivery operations under demanding conditions.
The work followed an adapted Double Diamond design process combined with human centred design principles. Initial stages included benchmarking of existing cargo bikes and electric utility vehicles, field observations, stakeholder interviews and operational analysis of Eco Delivery’s current fleet. The collected insights revealed the... (More) - This master’s thesis presents the development of an electric cargo vehicle adapted to the urban, infrastructural and socioeconomic conditions of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The project was conducted in collaboration with Eco Delivery, a Bolivian last mile logistics company seeking a sustainable and locally manufacturable transport solution capable of supporting urban delivery operations under demanding conditions.
The work followed an adapted Double Diamond design process combined with human centred design principles. Initial stages included benchmarking of existing cargo bikes and electric utility vehicles, field observations, stakeholder interviews and operational analysis of Eco Delivery’s current fleet. The collected insights revealed the importance of stability, rider comfort, manoeuvrability, durability and serviceability within the Bolivian context, leading to the selection of a narrow four wheel vehicle architecture.
The Develop phase focused on the systematic design and integration of subsystems including the frame, suspension, steering, drivetrain, braking system, cargo module, seating and electric powertrain. Emphasis was placed on the use of locally available materials and simple manufacturing methods to improve maintainability and feasibility for local production.
The outcome of the project is the digital prototype Tunari 1.0, an electric cargo vehicle designed to transport payloads of up to 200 kg while remaining compact and manoeuvrable in rough urban environments. The project demonstrates how engineering design can be adapted to local constraints to support more sustainable and accessible urban logistics solutions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9233575
- author
- Langenius, Felix LU and Birgersson, Zoë
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Applying Systematic Product Development to the Bolivian Context for Sustainable Urban Deliveries
- course
- MMKM10 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Electric cargo vehicle, last-mile delivery, double diamond method, low-resource engineering contexts
- language
- English
- id
- 9233575
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-11 09:11:29
- date last changed
- 2026-06-11 09:11:29
@misc{9233575,
abstract = {{This master’s thesis presents the development of an electric cargo vehicle adapted to the urban, infrastructural and socioeconomic conditions of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The project was conducted in collaboration with Eco Delivery, a Bolivian last mile logistics company seeking a sustainable and locally manufacturable transport solution capable of supporting urban delivery operations under demanding conditions.
The work followed an adapted Double Diamond design process combined with human centred design principles. Initial stages included benchmarking of existing cargo bikes and electric utility vehicles, field observations, stakeholder interviews and operational analysis of Eco Delivery’s current fleet. The collected insights revealed the importance of stability, rider comfort, manoeuvrability, durability and serviceability within the Bolivian context, leading to the selection of a narrow four wheel vehicle architecture.
The Develop phase focused on the systematic design and integration of subsystems including the frame, suspension, steering, drivetrain, braking system, cargo module, seating and electric powertrain. Emphasis was placed on the use of locally available materials and simple manufacturing methods to improve maintainability and feasibility for local production.
The outcome of the project is the digital prototype Tunari 1.0, an electric cargo vehicle designed to transport payloads of up to 200 kg while remaining compact and manoeuvrable in rough urban environments. The project demonstrates how engineering design can be adapted to local constraints to support more sustainable and accessible urban logistics solutions.}},
author = {{Langenius, Felix and Birgersson, Zoë}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The development of an electric cargo vehicle}},
year = {{2026}},
}