This weekend, JLR launched its 36-hour car sharing challenge: “Hacking the Future of Connected Vehicles.” Student competitors from Tongji, Jiaotong, Zhejiang, the China Academy of Art, and Nanjing University of Science and Technology will work through Sunday evening, presenting their final designs in front of an industry panel.
Each student team will respond to the same question:
“How can premium car sharing be personalized to the wants and needs of users in 2025?”
Students and mentors brainstorm ideas on Saturday night.
During final presentations, each team will target a specific user group, address its pain points, and outline both a unique sharing app and car design. Students’ ideas can incorporate technology like augmented reality, autonomous driving, and virtual reality. According to Rich Brubaker, founder of Collective Responsibility, the best overall design will anticipate user needs in the future, and pinpoint a solution that is clear, simple, and user-specific.
Rich Brubaker, founder of Collective Responsibility called on students to design for the future: “When you all present, we want to hear how the user’s gonna book your car, and how you’re designing for that user group. When the car arrives, how is it different from cars on the market now?”Gregory Burgess, Senior UX Designer for Autodesk recommended that students look closely at the challenge question: “Design is much less about problem solving, and more about problem defining. If the question is something you can’t solve, ask why.”Kriss Taylor, Lead Research Engineer for JLR China provided feedback to students during mock presentations: “The work you do over the next 36 hours will really help me in my job. You all are innovating for JLR’s future, and for the future of mobility.”Jonathan Rayer, China Strategy Executive Vice President for JLR commented on a shift in car ownership: “People are moving away from just buying products. They’re are looking at subscriptions, sharing platforms, and other ways to access a product without owning it.”A student team practiced their presentation in front of analysts from Collective Responsibility.Jidong Du, Chief Marketing Officer from FutureMove Automotive spoke to students about the future of mobility in China: “Back in the day, we used to have one car for every purpose, but now that’s becoming more of a fantasy. More and more companies are competing in a complex market for e-hailing, hitched cars, and P2P in a vehicle revolution.”Sam Li, Head of Business Development for HTC Vive China spoke about new technology in the car industry: “It’s really amazing how diversified virtual reality has become. It has applications in the gaming industry, education, B2B apps, artwork and design…you name it.”
UPDATE: Congratulations to our JLR “Hacking the Future of Car Sharing” Challenge Winners!
See the Winning Teams and Schools Below:
For more information about the JLR Hackathon and other hackathons hosted by Collective Responsibility, please check out our Hackathon Landing Page.
