Vesna by Kristina Magnitskaya, Russia

2010: Electrifying! Beautiful, Innovative & Radiant.

Drawing on Display at Michelin Challenge Design™

Biography

Kristina Magnitskaya, 26, is an artist and designer born in St. Petersburg, Russia where she currently lives. She grew up in an artistic family and since her childhood has been deeply connected with art.

She graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Academy of Art and Design, the Faculty of Product Design. Then for several years she worked as an artist in the field of a video commercial and film production where she was a creative section’s leader of the Direction of Development of the federal TV channel “Petersburg – Fifth Channel”.

She is preparing her personal graphic art exhibition – landscapes, portraits, abstraction and works in all the design areas. She designs toys for children, corporative identity styles, packaging, etc. for the companies. Currently, she works on the furniture design for a Finish company.

She has successfully participated in Russian and international design exhibitions and competitions, accomplishments have included: a runner-up of ISKU DesignAtWork 2008 and short-listed in the MacefDesignAward 2009.

She also has a great interest in automotive design. In 2006, she was placed in the short-list VDA 2006 (an exhibition IAA 2006 in Hannover); in 2008, she received a special prize of the magazine Auto&Design of the competition Stile Italiano Giovanni (an exhibition Dream Car in Turin); and now Michelin Challenge Design 2010.

She is very happy that her conceptual works get a high recognition from famous designers. One day she hopes to work on a real car projects.

Description

VESNA (Spring) – a single-seat electric car – is my concept of a new principle for the production of vehicles. The body is a one-piece natural resin composite with built-in wiring.

The driving wheels at the front have an offset center of rotation. They take the form of a reinforced, perforated rubber belt affixed to the electric motor. It is a non-synchronous electric motor that runs on a direct current with high-powered permanent magnets. The motors are essentially geared cylinder, with teeth designed to match apertures in the belt tire. They use regenerative braking coupled with mechanical braking via cylinders outside the belt for emergencies. Steering is achieved by redistribution of torque and braking on the leading wheels, depending on how the steering wheel is turned.

The rear wheel is a reinforced-rubber sphere. It fastens to a suspension clip which has four petals. Each petal contains a roller for free rotation of the sphere. The clip is connected to the main electrical system, making it possible to apply brakes or assisted steering on the wheel by means of the rollers.

The batteries are situated in the rear lower structure of the car. Access to the batteries is provided through the floor of the storage compartment.

A quick and simple production process with fewer parts and fewer different materials provides ample opportunity for a modular exterior for VESNA. It is possible to use materials of different colors or to arrange the wiring in different ways to create the effect of natural materials: stone, amber, plants, and others. Refueling VESNA is possible directly on the parking lot through a special “electro-floor” – a network of wires leading to hatches with sockets on the ground surface. The working circuit is visible through a translucent resin layer on this surface.

Simply start the car and you will see that this is the embodiment of “Electrifying! Beautiful, Innovative and Radiant”.