To design an automobile, a car designer does not merely just sit at a well-lighted desk, headphones firmly in place, an infinite cup of coffee nearby, sketching next year’s Any Car. No, to become a car designer, one must have a firm grasp of a number of subjects, including the history of the automobile, branding, marketing, physical modeling, digital modeling, consumer trends, consumer behavior…the list goes on.
At the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Low Country, the assignment for industrial design students was fairly straightforward: Build a beautiful concept car—but make it fully functional at the same time. To do this, the students worked with industry mentors and faculty who are well-regarded in the field. The college prioritizes application over theory, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The result is two very different EVs—the Aether and Tyr—that are eminently drivable and roadworthy, equipped with battery packs, electric motors and 3D-printed parts. The students did all of the wiring and programming themselves, and gave significant thought to the manufacturing process, including the use of sustainable materials.
One glance at the two vehicles shows that the students literally brushed away all of the cobwebs of outdated automobile design concepts to create them.
The Aether, named after the God of the Upper Atmosphere, is a structured auto that was inspired by sneakers and computer gear, according to SCAD Savannah Professor of Industrial Design Rafael Corazza Ronchetti. Visually, the connoisseur can detect a strong influence from the Ferrari 312 F1 and the Porsche 917, and the car’s convertible design reveals a minimalist interior with a center driving position.
The Tyr, named after a Norse God of Bravery, Justice and Sacrifice, is a more rugged EV that takes inspiration from various Jeep models and the Ford Bronco. The interior—including the seats—can be rearranged for different purposes. The vehicle offers autonomous driving modes as well as a holographic heads-up display that can retreat from view, and a panoramic roof made with smart glass.
Both cars use artificial intelligence to augment the driving experience—including matching music to driving patterns or providing information about the weather ahead on the route—and inductive charging to future-proof the designs.
“SCAD’s industrial design program creates hands-on learning experiences that no other university does, and the building of these electric vehicles is a prime example,” Ronchetti said.
“Over the last 12 months, SCAD Bees have achieved what students elsewhere could only dream of: designing and building not one but two electric vehicles—the Aether, a convertible sports car, and the Tyr, an off-roader overland SUV,” SCAD President Paula Wallace said. “These new electric vehicle concepts answer an essential question for the automotive industry as more and more young people are choosing not to drive at all, using rideshare and public transportation instead.”
Wallace believes that the upcoming generation of automotive designers—some of whom are likely to come from this class—will, along with cars such as the Aether and Tyr, reverse that shift “in spectacular ways,” explaining that a lot of the reason that the reception of the two “gorgeous” concept cars has been so positive is because of the extensive research the students conducted to make the EVs appealing to all drivers, including Gen Zers. Members of the Gen Z cohort have been found to be more averse to driving than prior generations, in great part because avoiding driving has come to be portrayed as environmentally conscious and the cohort does not wish to further exacerbate climate change.
SCAD’s athletic teams all carry the name Bees, and the prevalence of the humble bee at the school goes back to the early days of SCAD when Wallace—who also founded the college—created the school’s mascot, Art T. Bee. In “The Mascot as Multipurpose Metaphor,” an article published on LinkedIn in 2018, Wallace explained that she chose bees because they are “industrious, creative, collaborative, familial, speedy and hardworking.”