MindSumo Anonymous Autos Challenge Winner
PROMPT
According to a United Nations report published in 2014, 54% of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas. This number is expected to increase to 66% by 2050, which means an additional 2.5 billion people will be added to these metropolitan regions over the next 35 years.
We are preparing for this population shift and looking at the city vehicle experience very closely. Car sharing using connected (i.e. internet enabled) electric vehicles is one specific area we are excited to explore.
Imagine yourself as an urban resident and user of shared electric vehicles in 2030. You use a shared, connected car (which you don’t own), 3-4 times per week and drive for 15-30 minutes within the city.
1. Overall Experience: What is the BEST aspect of your participation in this car sharing program? What problems has it solved for you?
2. Car Utility: What features make the car a great vehicle in the city and ideal for car sharing?
3. Interfaces: What types of interfaces (both within and external to the vehicle) would help provide a seamless experience as you use and share the car? Explain why.
2. Car Utility: What features make the car a great vehicle in the city and ideal for car sharing?
3. Interfaces: What types of interfaces (both within and external to the vehicle) would help provide a seamless experience as you use and share the car? Explain why.
Use storyboard, sketches, mockups, or powerpoint PDFs to bring your ideas to life.
Criteria:
Top ideas will anticipate user needs and capture a vivid human story or experience.
Top ideas will anticipate user needs and capture a vivid human story or experience.
PROPOSAL
[Automated|Synchronous|Modular|Electric] Shared Vehicles Will Transform Our Cities & Our Way of Life
The city of the future, if it is to be successful, will be a dense and lively place. Buildings will be close together and transportation networks will be numerous and varied. Cities must include a number of different transportation options in order to thrive. Mass transit, such as light rail, street cars, and some form of buses will still be useful. The street networks will include all forms of transportation - walking, cycling, and surface vehicles. As cities become more dense, transportation times between places lessen and the amount of open space to store personal vehicles decreases. Meanwhile, the increased number of transportation options will also decrease our dependency on them.
So where does this leave surface vehicles of the future?
We must learn to share.
The future of car sharing will not only utilize electric vehicles that can communicate between cabs, but these vehicles will also be automated. The recent trials of automated vehicles on the road by companies such as Google are already showing impressive results. These will only become better with time. In the future, ownership of personal vehicles may become a rarity, while human drivers may even become obsolete, as automation proves to be superior. Here's how this union of today's technology will play out for the casual user in the future:
Surface vehicles will become a luxury reserved for special occasions. When foot, bicycle, and mass transit are not the ideal option, hailing your own personalized ride could be your best alternative.