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Business Students Drive for Automotive X Prize

What did you do when you were in college? Did you explore all possibilities and push the envelope of technology? Well, that is exactly what fourteen College of Business & Economics (CBE) students, are doing as they have joined forces with Western’s Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) in pursuit of the Automotive X Prize…a $10 million dollar international competition to create an economically viable vehicle that averages morethan 100 miles per gallon!

As one of only 24 teams pursuing this honor (only two of which are universities), Western business students were brought on board to develop the business side of Western’s X Prize endeavors, allowing the VRI to focus on their 35+ years of experience in technology and design. “One of the requirements for the X Prize is that each team submits a workable business plan for their product,” said Jeff Marinelli, the Western MBA student leading the effort. “Every detail of the plan has to be able to be put into immediate action and be fully implementable according to the rules of the contest….for example, one guideline states that the car must have the capacity to be put into production, and be able to reasonably sell 10,000 models. We are working on the logistics of how that could be done.”

In addition to simply developing a production-ready vehicle that exceeds 100 miles per gallon, the contest also takes into account the exhaust of these vehicles as it pertains to current environmental, economical, and fuel dependency issues. Strict standards to ensure the vehicles are emission-friendly are measured, and the vehicles must release less than 200 grams of carbon dioxide per mile to be in consideration.

The X Prize concept began in the early 90’s with a one-time award to the first group to design and implement a private rocket into space; it ended when a $10 million bounty was awarded to Scaled Composites in 2004 for its craft SpaceShipOne. Since then, the X Prize Foundation has installed other contests to bring about radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity through competition, including projects in the fields of genomics, lunar breakthroughs and now automotive design excellence. The Progressive Automotive X Prize is divided into two different categories, the mainstream vehicle class, and the alternative vehicle class (within which the Western team is participating). By entering the alternative class, the students are allowed to develop unconventional vehicles that involve unique technologies driven by the VRI.

Founded in 1972, Western’s Vehicle Research Institute is at the forefront of auto design and fabrication. Internationally renowned for its designs, and recognized for its efforts not only by many of the top auto manufacturers, but also on ABC’s Good Morning America, the VRI is striving to offer Western students the best total car education in the world while expanding the technology of the automotive industry. “I am excited to have business students along for the ride,” said Brent Wise, VRI project leader. “I feel they have a lot to offer that will be helpful in winning the X Prize.”

The X Prize partnership between the VRI and CBE is a natural fit given CBE's emphasis on social and ethical issues in business, and the connection isn’t lost on MBA Program Assistant Director, Dan Purdy, “When Brent Wise first contacted us last summer, it really seemed like a perfect fit that would have huge benefits for our students, the University, the college, and for society.”

The team, which originally included MBA students, has grown to include CBE undergrads and students from other majors such as Communications. “It has really grown into a great example of the cooperative effort Western is so well known for, allowing our students to get real-world experiences working with different disciplines and professions,” Purdy continued.

Western business students are learning first hand the pressures of putting together a working business model, while simultaneously thriving in the experience it offers to them. “I’m really looking forward to growing with the team and reaching our goal of winning the final race in 2010,” said Sophia McCloy, a CBE undergrad and participant responsible for project marketing and fundraising. “I originally joined the project in order to learn about dealing with the media and putting together large fundraisers; it’s a great opportunity to gain the skills I will need throughout my future career.”

While some Western students are involved because of the real life experiences the project offers, others are thrilled to play a part in developing new technologies …but perhaps most importantly the X Prize competition has given business students an opportunity to learn about teamwork and inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that will help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change.

Perhaps Jeff Marinelli said it best, “I get to see how to bring a complex product to market that will have a real impact…not many students get the kind of opportunity to do something like that at this point in their career.”