EC-Drive by Federico Beltran, Ivan Orozco and Edmundo Platt, Mexico

2011: Plus 10. The Best is Yet to Come!

Biography

In 2003, Federico Beltran Montemayor began studying civil engineering at the Institute of Technology and Superior Education of Monterrey (ITESM for its abbreviation in Spanish) in which he studied for the duration of four semesters. During this time, he also began working as a volunteer apprentice in a local woodshop where he learned the skills of woodcraft.

Once he acquired more experience, he began designing and manufacturing children’s furniture. This strongly influenced his decision to change not only his major, but also his university. Shortly after this experience as an independent designer, he began studying industrial design at the Center of Superior Design in Monterrey (CEDIM for its abbreviation in Spanish) to become more proficient in this newfound area of interest.

As a part of his studies at the CEDIM, he has completed multiple projects for some of the university’s partner companies. These design projects have included: “My Little Fence”, a child’s bureau that won first place for the competition organized by the company Multilam which distributes plastic laminate and corian; “Areia”, a wall clock made of corian created for the same company; “Bee Bench”, an ergonomic child’s bench that is intended to be disassembled and recreated into various forms by children; a redesign project of a commercial refrigerator for the company Criotec, which manufactures commercial appliances, among others.

At the same time he began studying at the CEDIM, he worked in different areas, such as construction, architecture, interior and product design making CAD drawings. He also worked as a 3D modeler and renderer in these same areas. He has participated in important projects such as: the executive project for the construction of two new City Club stores (Soriana) in the city of Monterrey; engineering drawings of precast slabs for the construction of a second tier of the Periferico, a main road in Mexico City; conceptual drawings for a Mexican pavilion in Shangai (this was an international contest in which he collaborated with the Architectural Bureau of Monterrey), among others.

Currently he is working as a 3D modeler and renderer in a company that designs and manufactures furniture. This has opened up many opportunities of freelance design work for him as well. He will continue to study industrial design at CEDIM and plans to graduate in 2011. He continues to look for independent projects and contests to gain more experience in the field of design.

Iván García Orozco, 25, was born in Morelia, Mexico. In August 2006, motivated by designing sustainable products that help improve the quality of life of people, he began studying industrial design at the Center of Superior Studies of Design in Monterrey (CEDIM for its abbreviation in Spanish). Since he started the career in 2006, he has worked multiple projects for some of the university’s partner companies such as Multilam, Criotec, Helvex, Vitro, Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma among others. Currently he is close to concluding his studies in industrial design next year and then planning to extend his studies and study a master degree in sustainable design.

Description

Transportation in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico is increasing in an exponential manner, creating more traffic and less efficiency on the roads.

Compact vehicles create greater more effective modes of transportation; their smaller size makes maneuvering on the streets and parking much easier. The option of a custom made interior design ensures that the driver will have a unique and enjoyable experience.

Ec-Drive is a compact vehicle, created for one person, that utilizes O-Led technology to personalize the interior design of the vehicle. The wheels are connected to the vehicle by the means of Mag-Lev technology.