Ultium Spot
How can electric car ownership be more accessible to people with mobility challenges?
ACADEMIC
2021
PRATT INSTITUTE STUDIO SPONSORED
BY GENERAL MOTORS
DURATION – 5 MONTHS
Autonomous cars will make driving more accessible to people with mobility challenges. Ultium Spot is a robot that can pair with any GM electric vehicle, designed to make all aspects of electric car ownership accessible for these customers by automating home car charging and driveway maintenance.
The goal of the Ultium platform is to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Ultium Spot is designed to integrate with the Ultium brand identity, incorporating the blue linear motifs in the logo representing battery packs. Ultium Spot autonomously docks and wirelessly charges the car parked above.
Park and charge wirelessly with no cables, no hassle, and no more forgetting to charge.
Recharges automatically and undocks on your schedule.
Autonomously clears your driveway of leaves and debris.
THE PROBLEM
“The majority (61%) of older and disabled people – including individuals suffering from arthritis, muscle disease or impaired motor control, or recovering from a stroke – have an appetite for owning an EV but are put off by the prospect of charging difficulties.”
Research Institute for Disabled Consumers
PERSONAS
Michael, 75 – Retired Dentist
"I have arthritis in my hands and trouble remembering small things. Sometimes I forget to charge my car when I get home.”
Jessica, 30 – Marketing Analyst
“As a wheel chair user, it is difficult to rake the leaves on my driveway, and it is expensive to regularly pay for a service.”
Ideation initially explored a variety of forms, and later began to focus on rounded forms inspired by the shape of a turbocharger. To better explore the form in three dimensions, I 3D printed scale models. I continued to refine the design in CAD and created a full-scale prototype in foam utilizing a CNC machine.
3D printed scale models
Foam half-scale model
How does the form integrate with the Ultium brand identity?
Full-Scale Appearance Model in CNC-Milled Foam.
Context Renders
Air intake, back-up manual power button and covered charge port.