The Future of the Automobile - Trends and Challenges in Personal Mobility

(Note: this class is supported by the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford -- CARS -- and is highly recommended by us at the Revs Program)

The objective of this course is to develop an understanding for the requirements that go into the design of a highly complex yet easy-to-use product, i.e. the automobile. Students will learn about very different interdisciplinary aspects that characterize the automobile and personal mobility. This is the first part of a 3-quarter seminar series, which build on one another but can be taken independently. This quarter, the seminar will discuss general aspects of the automobile and personal mobility. In the first half of the quarter, students will learn about different aspects of the automobile and understand key characteristics and conflicts. Primary trends such as electrification, automation, communication, and commoditization will be discussed. In the second half of the quarter, guest speakers from academia and industry will share their vision regarding the future of the automobile and how design challenges are addressed within their respective organizations. At the end of the quarter, students will have developed a broader understanding of the intertwined technology - environmental - human - business - legal aspects that will shape the future of the automobile.