Case Study: WHILL achieves 30% lighter, more portable personal mobility devices with Autodesk Fusion 360 generative design

Shaping the next generation of personal mobility with generative design

WHILL, a personal electric-vehicle manufacturer, creates mobility devices to help people with impairments overcome physical and social barriers. Facing customer demands for lighter, more portable and affordable products (the Model C was developed to be easily disassembled and half the weight and cost of the Model A), WHILL turned to Autodesk’s Fusion 360 and its generative-design capabilities to push lightweighting and rethink frame geometry.

Using Autodesk Fusion 360’s generative-design tools, WHILL generated and evaluated many optimal frame alternatives, achieving a more than 30% weight reduction in the frame alone and validating novel shapes for future mass production. Autodesk’s technology helped WHILL advance toward even lighter, more portable EVs while building on the Model C’s commercial success (award wins and reduced cost), and the company is now exploring how to translate these generative-design results into production.

WHILL

Yoshihiro Hirata

Head of Vehicle Development Group