Savannah College of Art and Design students spent a year creating the quintessential electric vehicle and built the Aether and Tyr EV concepts for Gen Z drivers.<\/b>
\nInstead of just talking about what the next generation of drivers want, Savannah College of Art and Design students spent a year creating the quintessential electric vehicle. More than just renderings, the SCAD industrial design students built the Aether and Tyr all-electric concepts.
On display at the Savannah, Georgia school\u2019s unique XR\/LED stage, SCAD Savannah professor of industrial design Rafael Corazza Ronchetti sees the two cars as the sports car Aether about the joy of driving and going fast, while the Jeep-inspired Tyr is about freedom and the open road. Both are designed to attract a younger, reluctant-to-get-a-drivers-license generation. The battery powering the vehicles is a major appeal for this demographic.
In a conversation with the project\u2019s professors last month, SCAD Atlanta associate chair of design Owen Foster noted the students were instructed to build \u201cNot just a beautiful concept car, but it still has to be real.\u201d The cars are fully functional and roadworthy with a battery and motors and 3D-printed parts. The students had to wire everything themselves and program the cars and even think about the manufacturing process, including sourcing sustainable materials.Aether: God of the Upper Atmosphere
A very structured car, the Aether was inspired by sneakers and computer gear, according to professor Corazza Ronchetti. There\u2019s also a strong influence from the Ferrari 312 F1 and the Porsche 917.
The convertible design shows the minimal interior with the center driving position\u2014friends get in the back. The message is, \u201cYou are center of the action,\u201d Corazza Ronchetti explained. There\u2019s a lot of exposed and transparent paneling to show what\u2019s happening with the car as it\u2019s happening.Tyr: A Norse God of Bravery, Justice and Sacrifice
The Tyr was developed at the school\u2019s Atlanta campus under Foster. The more rugged EV is intended to take you out of your routines. \u201cIt embodies freedom and courage,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was about the power of driving.\u201d
Inspired by other utility vehicles like the Ford Bronco and different Jeeps, the car is about going places whether that\u2019s off-road, camping or a long trip. The seats can be rearranged, there\u2019s autonomous driving modes with a holographic head-up display that can retreat from view and a panoramic roof made with smart glass. The cargo hold is a small truck bed.
Both cars use AI to augment the driver experience whether that\u2019s matching music to driving patterns or asking about weather up ahead or campsite information. As both vehicles are EVs, the students looked at inductive, or wireless, charging as a future-proofed feature.
Lead student designer, Jeremy Takyi, 36, has since graduated with a master\u2019s degree in industrial design at SCAD, but he credits his time developing the Aether vehicle for preparing him for future projects and his current job as a project manager in San Jose, California.
\u201cIf you can design a car you can design anything,\u201d he said in an interview last month. \u201cYou have to bring in so many different technologies.\u201d
Bringing in mechanical expertise, new vehicle tech, existing car knowledge and an EV platform along with next-gen manufacturing techniques was a lesson in cross-disciplinary integration.
\u201cTo make all those decisions to work together takes a lot,\u201d he said.
The cars will be on display at the upcoming Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix 2024 in Austin on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n