SPONSORS: At VDS, we love our sponsors. Not only because they make our work possible, but also because very often they are exceptional examples of what we would like VDS to be: lean, green, epic news making machines! These are companies that do good in the world in big ways with products that often reach millions of people's lives. Our hope is that our work, our quirky distributed approach to innovation and appreciation for systems engineering can inspire their employees and their products in the same way that they have motivated us. We do our best to visit our sponsoring companies regularly, giving us a chance to learn from their manufacturing facilities, organizational structure and development process and them a chance to ask as many questions and meet our team and our work.
Companies generally sponsor in one of three ways: with cash, with time or with technology. We use 90% of our cash to build components and 10% to pay students a small stipend to do research with us through MIT's UROP program or to convene design review meetings. Companies who support us with engineering help collaborate on design elements and help us to refine our concepts such that good ideas are showcased with a state-of-the-art finish. In cases where a company has a key enabling technology, whether a scanner to replicate complex part, a hyper-efficient component key to our vehicle's performance, it is our honor to showcase that innovation.
FOUNDING SPONSORS:
Founding sponsors are the key to VDS' success. These companies and foundations enable us to focus on our work rather than securing resources to do our work and we are deeply indebted to them. Founding sponsors support VDS at the $250,000 level or above. VDS has no more than 4 founding sponsors at a time.
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Anonymous This fortune 100 company supports VDS through their innovation branch. Often, we found ourselves wondering how to keep our distributed team happy and at those times we think of what it would be like to have 40,000 people located all around the world and are inspired to think bigger. While the company has opted to remain anonymous for now, if you are reading this page THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You know who you are and we are deeply grateful for your advocacy, support and encouragement. |
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GOLD SPONSORS |
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Gerald Appelstein An MIT alum and energy master-mind, Mr. Appelstein provided VDS with a major contribution in pursuit of our completion of a match grant challenge. We look forward to taking you for a ride one of these days and are grateful for your support as well as words of wisdom. |
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SILVER SPONSORS |
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A technology leader in the automotive space, A123 makes batteries that provide both a high level of performance and efficiency. As VDS has opted to not focus research attention in the battery space, we are proud to be able to showcase A123 technology. VDS believes the billions of dollars going into effective BMS solutions as well as new chemistries is best done by industry, and is focusing its own efforts on ensuring that the rest of the vehicle run's as efficiently as possible. Given that in a traditional vehicle only 1-2% of the energy in the tank moves the person, we feel we can add the most value in this area. VDS is using five A123 prismatic modules as well as A123 control and battery management software. A123 has provided VDS with advice, critique and technology that is essential to our success. |
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As much as possible, VDS tries to stand on the shoulders of intellectual giants as a starting point. During the late summer of 2010, the team decided to look for an all composite monocoque body that we could use as a reference for our work. The Solectria Sunrise vehicle topped our list as a concept that made it from sketch board to publicly leasable fleet. In order to learn as much as we could from the vehicle, GKS provided a scan of a majority of the composite body and subassembly elements, as well as SolidWorks model from the mesh with a sub 2 mm precision. |
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The ArchiMITes vehicle is an all composite monocoque structure. For past prototypes, VDS team members have made their own tooling for these parts by hand, putting in weeks of sanding time to create high quality surfaces to enable easy release of parts. For ArchiMITes, VDS is partnering with Marine Concepts to create temp molds that accelerate our workflow. Applying their expertise from work done on custom yachts, Marine Concepts designed and fabricated four molds for the vehicle body. Using both 4 and 5-axis CNC machines, they were able to create a high class finish and complex curvatures. We look forward to posting images of the build process soon. |
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Based in Maine, Morris Yachts builds some of the finest custom boats in the United States. Taking a cue from the Sunrise vehicle, VDS is using resin transfer molding to do ArchiMITes custom body. Morris Yachts is partnering with VDS to ensure the highest quality of workmanship on our first all composite structure. In additional to providing key machinery, the company is providing experts in the field to both help with the layup itself and also to teach our team how to do RTM work well. We look forward to bringing the body back to MIT. |
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As one of the world's pre-eminent aerodynamic research companies, Exa provides VDS with the ability to do advanced simulation in short order. In particular, VDS has benefited from Exa's software PowerClay, as the tool allowed us to morph the scan data from the Solectria Sunrise to the new packaging dimensions set during the initial development work on ArchiMITes. This morphing tool allowed us to integrate a number of rounds of aerodynamic analysis of the original Sunrise vehicle as well as ArchiMITes into our final frozen exterior shape. |
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A sponsor of VDS since 2006, the MathWorks tools enable VDS to make good decisions about everything from how to handle vibration generated by the powertrain to sizing the powertrain to handling thermal loads and optimizing design. We use both MatLab and Simulink, as well as a wide array of the MathWorks toolboxes to parametrically model the vehicle. Based in Natick, VDS has also been able to participate in trainings put on by the MathWorks and periodically makes site visits to update the company and its employees on our progress, challenges and next steps. |
BRONZE SPONSORS
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MISTI, or the MIT International Science and Technology Initiative, has been a key supporter and partner for VDS as an international project since 2007. At MIT, MISTI supports more than 300 students doing international internships and research. With VDS, MISTI has enabled us to send team members through both stipends and travel support, as well as cultural trainings and corporate partnerships, to India, Italy and Germany. |
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For VDS, being able to design, test and then rebuild as quickly as possible is key. With the aim of building a deep understand of all elements of the process, having the chance to do testing in cutting edge facilities is essential. During the spring of 2010, Ford is partnering with VDS to put ArchiMITes in their wind tunnel testing facilities over the course of three days. This work will enable VDS to correlate physical and analytic results as well as build a stronger relationship with engineers at the company. |
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Reducing transportation fuel consumption is a goal that is being approached from many angles. Information about on-road energy use in the real-world is valuable for the implementation and consumer acceptance of: Advanced powertrain technologies, Eco-driving, Intelligent trip planning, and Car-sharing, among others. VirVe aims to support the transition to clean and fuel efficient transportation technologies through intelligent analysis of the best available data and implementation of accurate vehicle simulation. VirVe works with VDS to develop our on-board information systems as well as tune and optimize our powertrain and vehicle sizing simulations. |
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While engineering solutions to difficult problems is fine and good, doing so in a way that meets human need is the real goal. Whether how we organize the project to enable others to pursue their own work or in the design of our vehicles, Continuum has played a key role. As one of the most innovative design firms in the US, Continuum brings a wealth of insight to the project, as well as methodologies to ensure we are doing our best to do the most good. During the summer of 2007, Continuum hosted the entire VDS systems team at their headquarters for two months. We are deeply grateful for the company's support and guidance. |
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Since the beginning, VDS has worked towards lifecycle targets, specifically an improvement from cradle-to-cradle of a factor 20 relative to the Toyota Prius in terms of toxics and hazards to human health. PE International, experts in sustainability, has provided essential insight both through their software tool GaBi as well as through site trainings in Italy and the United States. |
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
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A sponsor since 2006, SolidWorks provides the CAD software used by our team to do rapid modeling, simulation and fabrication. In 2007, VDS gave one of the keynote addresses at SolidWorks World in New Orleans. With more than 4,500 people present, the event provided an exceptional platform for VDS to talk about its goals and achievements as well as SolidWorks a chance to show its clients how we had used their tools. We are grateful for the opportunity to speak to such an audience and look forward to ongoing collaboration. |
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At VDS, we make many computer models of our vehicles. 3D Connexion provides the team with 3D mice to both accelerate the design process and also improve ergonomics. |
