2011: Plus 10. The Best is Yet to Come!
Biography
Kyu-Hyun, Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and he is currently going to Seoul National University of Technology majoring in Industrial Design and minoring in Fine Art.
He pursues the design that expresses ideas from observing ‘Human Behavior’. He was awarded the 2010 Red-dot Concept design Award Winner, 2011 Michelin Challenge Design Winner, PIN UP Concept Design Award Bronze, Koizumi International Lighting Design Competition Silver, Ssangyoung Motor’s Design Competition Trendy, and iF Concept Design Awards Shortlist in 2010.
In 2009, he was awarded 4th Universal Design Competition Special Selection, 2009 Green Car Design Competition Winner.
Sol, Lee, 24, was born in Seoul Jangwidong and is currently studying at the Induk University Digital Industrial Design. He has studied Produce Design and now is studying to become a car designer.
Hae-Won, Jo, 23, was born in Busan, Korea and is a junior at the Seoul National University of Technology majoring in Industrial Design. “There is nothing new under the sun” – this sentence is very important to him.
Description
According to the National Statistics Office of South Korea, it is estimated that there will be a 21.6% increase in the number of people per household by 2020, which means that it looks like 1 in 5 households will be made up of a single person. This is the reason why my design ‘met’ holds only 2 people. The need for a large sedan, I believe, will become increasingly obsolete as more and more people choose to remain single or childless. Fuel consumption as well as difficulties in finding parking will mean that the need for smaller, more fuel efficient cars will increase, as commuting or nights on the town do not need require large vehicles.
The idea of electric cars is great, but the reason they haven’t really been able to take-off is the fact that the ‘plug-in’ design, while efficient, isn’t very consumer-friendly. The time it takes to recharge is just too long, but even when it has been charged it doesn’t last too long either, and you can’t put more batteries on a car because it’d then be too heavy. Therefore, the idea of ‘met’ was born to answer to this problem. The concept of the wheels of the car acting as the battery means that if you run out of “fuel” you simply change the rear wheels of the car to fully charged batteries and then you’re ready to go again – no waiting around for the car to be “filled-up” again. You just exchange empty for full and you’re done. It’s also really easy for the user to change the wheels in spite of the battery being really heavy. There is a handle inside the wheel to make it even easier and also displays how much energy you have left, much like a fuel gauge on your dashboard. You can buy fully charged wheels at a recharging station, or you can choose to buy a charger so you can recharge overnight at home, or while the car isn’t in use – like you would a cell phone.
Unique design, a revised version of the electric car means it will be able to survive oil crises and will be far more environmentally friendly, which I believe will be absolutely crucial in the future. This means ‘met’ takes into account changing tastes, preferences, needs and technologies and is an amalgamation of what people will want need and require from their prime mode of transport. I’ve tried to make the car as ergonomic as possible, as I believe the ease of use is one of the determining factors behind the popularity of a vehicle.
Traffic is horrendous in Seoul. The amount of cars given the number of people is ridiculous, the pollution is shameful, the wasted time, energy and money sitting in traffic is probably contributing to the country’s economic (not so) well-being.
I believe that my design is an accurate reflection of how consumers’ tastes will change with the current trend of falling birth rate; it also takes into account that the current source of energy for most cars is not a sustainable resource and so the innovative use of new technology means that met is a truly feasible item in the future of automobiles.
The fact that the Korean people are very sensitive to design, as can be seen through their obsessive need to update the cell phones to the latest, sleekest models, means that in the future customers will start to take fuel efficiency for granted and will base their choice of car on its physical appeal. As met is both “fuel” efficient, easy to use and very fashionable, I’m certain that met will be a definite ‘yes’ in answering the future desires and needs of the Korean population.
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