Savannah College of Art and Design has debuted a student-built electric car during the United States Grand Prix, as revealed in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.
Called Aether, the fully electric sports car was made in Savannah by industrial design students tasked with creating a car that would excite younger generations.
According to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), research pointed towards younger generations being less excited about learning to drive.
In response, students in the programme were tasked with designing a car that could alter the perception of driving for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
The car made its debut at the Four Seasons Hotel during the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
According to SCAD, Aether is a fully functioning vehicle created entirely using 3D-printing technology, using acrylic gel cured by UV light.
The car took students approximately one year to build, drawing inspiration from trainers and computer hardware.
Aether aims to pay homage to vintage sports cars, such as the Ferrari 312 F1 and the Porsche 917, featuring an open-top roof and an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that curates music to match the driver's tastes.
Students at SCAD also developed a second electric vehicle – an off-road SUV called Tyr, at their campus in Atlanta.
Designed to appeal to Gen Z's environmental values, Tyr includes autonomous technology, a panoramic roof and a compact truck bed.
Both electric vehicle projects were led by SCAD Savannah's professor of industrial design Rafael Corazza Ronchetti and SCAD Atlanta's associate chair of design Owen Foster.
SCAD is home to over 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in programmes spanning architecture, interior design, film and more.
To learn more about student-developed electric vehicles at SCAD, visit its website.
The photography is by SCAD.
Partnership content
This video was created by Dezeen for SCAD as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.