| Date | May 2022 | Marks available | 2 | Reference code | 22M.3.HL.TZ0.1 |
| Level | HL | Paper | 3 | Time zone | no time zone |
| Command term | Outline | Question number | 1 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Soar Electric Scooter Rental
“Scooter sharing” has become popular in cities all over the world. E-scooters are being promoted as a sustainable mode of transport by providing an alternative to cars. One e-scooter company, Soar, offers e-scooters in several cities that can be easily rented via a smartphone app. A rider uses the Soar app to locate the nearest e-scooter, see Figure 1.
Figure 1: A representation of the Soar smartphone app
Soar purchased their first-generation e-scooters from manufacturer Xiomani for US$550 each. To break even an e-scooter needs to be used five times a day for five months. As the Soar smartphone app tracks battery charge, location and usage, it was found that many of these Xiomani scooters were lasting less than two months. Many were simply discarded, see Figure 2.
Figure 2: Discarded e-scooters
Figure 2: MarioGuti / iStock.
Outline one reason why Soar use just-in-case (JIC) production for their Soar e-scooter.
Outline one way how the use of statistical process control can lead to improvements in the design of the Soar e-scooter.
Outline one way how partnerships between city authorities and e-scooter companies could encourage sustainable innovation.
Explain why the first-generation Soar e-scooters cannot be considered to be a sustainable design.
Markscheme
Soar needs to keep a stock of e-scooters / cannot afford to run out;
as many scooters last for less than two months / as they are replaced frequently / to respond to sudden fluctuations in demand / to reduce the risk of increased market prices / to avoid delay from their supplier / to reduce lead time / as “Scooter sharing” has become popular in cities all over the world;
Award [1] for identifying one reason why Soar use just-in-case (JIC) production for their e-scooters and [1] for a development up to [2 max].
SPC ensures e-scooters are produced within the acceptable tolerances / detects when the process mean has moved away from the target (the centre line) / identifies areas in which standards are not met;
leading to the correction of the manufacturing techniques / reducing the number of defected e-scooters / reducing human error / increasing the e-scooters' product life / informing the design development of new scooters;
Award [1] for identifying a way how the use of Statistical Process Control can lead to improvements in the design of the Soar e-scooter and [1] for a development up to [2 max].
integration (cooperation) between different systems (services) provided by the city authorities and e-scooter companies;
to provide infrastructure/travel passes/charging points/signage/collection & drop off points/scooter lanes;
regulation / legislation;
city authorities may limit car transportation in certain areas / fine users who discard scooters;
taxes;
city authorities may provide tax incentives to e-scooter companies;
subsidies;
provide financial incentives for e-scooter companies/start-ups;
education;
city authorities may use educational programs/advertising campaigns to encourage the public to use e-scooters;
Award [1] for identifying a way how partnerships between city authorities and e-scooter companies could encourage sustainable innovation and [1] for a development up to [2 max].
the e-scooters were not developed according to Datschefski’s principles of design because they have a short product life / many only last for two months;
therefore, Soar is not making profit / is not breaking even / not economically sustainable;
they are creating waste / not an eco-design / not cyclic / not solar / not safe / not efficient / not environmentally sustainable;
encouraging users to discard the e-scooters / not social / not socially sustainable;
Award [1] for identifying why the first-generation Soar e-scooters cannot be considered to be a sustainable design and [1] for a development up to [4 max].
Examiners report
The majority of the candidates appeared to have a clear and good understanding of the "just-in-case" (JIC) production strategy.
This was seen as one of the more challenging questions in this paper. It required candidates to outline one way how the use of 'statistical process control' (SPC) can lead to improvements in the design of the Bird e-scooter. The 'statistical process control' concept is included in Topic 10.4 on page 84 in the DT Guide and has appeared in previous Paper 3 examinations over the past years. However, only a few well-prepared candidates demonstrated a good understanding of SPC and were able to achieve a full mark. Some confused SPC with 'strategies for user-centred design' from Topic 7 and mistakenly outlined ways to collect user data to improve how the e-scooters meet their wants and needs.
This question required candidates to outline one way how partnerships between city authorities and e-scooter companies could encourage 'sustainable innovation'. Surprisingly, quite a number of candidates responded incorrectly by simply repeating and/or rephrasing the question, for example: to help encourage sustainable innovation there should be a partnership between city authorities and e-scooter companies. Most popular responses included legislation and subsidies.
In general, this was a good question with the majority of candidates gaining at least 2 marks out of 4, mainly from the social and environmental aspects of 'sustainable design'. However, only the well-prepared candidates referred to the economical aspect and how Bird was unable to breakeven due to the e-scooters' short product life. Again, it is worth mentioning that some overlooked that the question is asking for why the first-generation Bird e-scooters cannot be considered a sustainable design, and incorrectly focused on explaining how it can be turned into a sustainable design.
