L’argus Student Competition 2009

French magazine L'argus de l'automobile has announced the winners of its seventh Student Competition Awards, themed ‘Automobile Design for Social Utility'. Open to students studying design within the European Union and Switzerland, the competition culminated at a recent awards ceremony at the Eiffel Tower.

The first prize of €3000 and an internship at Renault's Technocentre in Guyancourt (near Paris) went to Damien Grossemy, Thibaut Dereymacker and Maxime Dimarco from the Institut Supérieur de Design in Valenciennes, France. Their 'Link' concept proposes a multi-user, on-demand system based on car sharing principles in inner cities. Special stations are located at strategic points within the city limits (no more than 400m apart), at which a user can order a vehicle according to their needs. The electrically-powered cars vary in size and shape, and when not in operation can be used as interactive information points by passersby. Special 'green' lanes - similar in concept to California's High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes - also allow cars carrying four or more passengers to bypass congested roads.

Julien Pechmeze of the Université d'Evry took home the competition's €1500 second prize. Pechmeze's 'Scorpion' concept is designed to bring back the joy of mobility and driving dynamics to people of disability. The driver rolls their wheelchair up a ramp at the rear of the 1.84m-long, three-wheeled vehicle; this ramp then cantilevers up and locks the chair into place, forming an overhead safety cell in the process (and providing the inspiration for the name Scorpion). Propulsion is provided by a pair of in-wheel motors at the rear.

Third place and a prize of €500 went to Alex Jacquelin, Yong Fei Han and Joachim Poirier of ENSAAMA/Olivier de Serres in Paris. Their 'Tube' concept puts forward an integrated solution that takes care of the needs of both personal and mass transit users. Consisting of three main elements - a high speed rail network, peripheral parking structures and a subscription service - users are able to travel within built-up urban areas without using their cars. With parking areas strategically placed on the outskirts of the city, individual drivers park their conventional automobiles and use the 'Tube', a two-seat monocycle measuring 700mm wide, to get around the city. The monocyles, stored in 9m-tall vertical parking structures when not in use, can be placed alongside one another on a high-speed train that travels at up to 160km/h between stations.

Special mention was awarded to Miguel-Angel Iranzo Sanchez, a student of the Master's program in transportation design at the Universidad Polytecnica de Valencia. Inspired by French singer and actor Jacques Dutronc, fashion from Paul Smith and Hermès, and high-tech tactile devices such as Amadana mobile phones, the electric 'Motobecane Motivo' concept was designed for fashion-conscious users seeking to emphasize their individuality. The motorbike features in-wheel electric motors, a removable battery for easy recharging at home and a small suitcase integrated within the frame. Sanchez was a finalist in the 2007 L'argus design competition.

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