The international Twizy Contest organised by Renault and Segula Technologies is designed to work with the talents of the future to uncover new ideas to imagine the future of urban mobility and of the motor car. Student engineers and designers from various countries competed to bring all of their ingenuity and originality to bear on the Renault Twizy electric quadricycle. In the finale at the Guyancourt Technocentre, the students who submitted the ten best projects presented their results to the public and to the members of the jury. Meet the winners of this year’s competition.
Overall winner: the team from Brazil
What a victory! The Brazilian students took first place in the Twizy Contest, plus the prizes for best innovation and best cost analysis. The jury was impressed by the degree of completeness of a shared urban mobility concept that is accessible to all. On a technical level, this Twizy is fitted with a retractable driver’s seat that can be made to protrude from the passenger compartment at the touch of a button, and there is a bracket on the side of the vehicle to hold a wheelchair. These ingenious features make it easy for someone with reduced mobility to get into the vehicle unaided. Being perfectionists, the team also presented an extra-compact wheelchair design that uses recycled materials and a car-sharing app to rent the vehicle and unlock it remotely.
Prize for best prototype: the team from Romania
For these Romanian students, the urban mobility of tomorrow means hyper-handleability. Without doubt inspired by Renault’s For-Control technology, they grafted steerable front and back axles onto the Twizy so that it can go anywhere. The result? The two front wheels can turn either independently of the rear wheels, or in the same direction. The prototype can actually turn around on itself. Astounding! The Twizy can ease its way through the urban jungle and park on a sixpence.
Prize for best communication: the team from Turkey
The Turkish team’s concept is doubly original: their Twizy comprises self-service for tourists and remunerated data-sharing. The service package they came up with is based on an app, a camera on the roof and a data-sharing option for information gathered. The app is used to rent the vehicle and guide it (to notable sites and charging points). The roof camera takes a 360° film of each trip. And the data-sharing option gives users the chance to keep souvenirs of their visit, and to be paid for sharing all of the information stored en route (geolocation, traffic, etc.). Journey data are indispensable to the development of the connected and, ultimately, autonomous car. They add value and can be sold on. Travel in an electric vehicle for free by helping to develop the car of the future: a virtuous circle for mobility!
A must-have from the Russians
Simple … once you see it! Why not combine the Twizy with two ultra-compact electric scooters? The Russian team designed two folding electric micro-scooters and two storage compartments, each with a power supply, fitted on either side of the Twizy. Once they get as close as they can to their destination, both occupants of the Twizy have their own ready-to-use scooter to complete the last leg of their journey. Simple and effective!
