Model T for the 21st century

Posted on October 07, 2008 07:32 AM

The original Model T

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Model T (which occurs this month), Ford Motor Company challenged students at 6 schools from around the world to create a revolutionary global vehicle for today that shares the Model T's attributes: simple, lightweight, practical, compelling and low cost. In other words, create a Model T concept for the 21st century.

Student teams at Aachen University of Cologne in Germany and Deakin University of Melbourne in Australia earned each of their schools US$25,000 in scholarship funds by delivering innovative concepts that embodied the spirit of the Model T and best met the criteria of the challenge.

“It’s not often we celebrate the centennial anniversary of an iconic vehicle, so we created the ‘Model T Challenge’ as an opportunity for students to conceptualize future transportation in a way that is unique to Ford,” said Bill Coughlin, President/CEO of Ford Global Technologies, LLC. “To date, there has never been a vehicle that has left such an impact on the lives of millions, and Ford challenged students to present an alternative that just might do so again.”

The 4-month competition included teams of undergraduate, graduate and even high school students from schools around the world who worked to create innovative concepts to address the transportation needs of the future. Each student team received US$75,000 in funding from Ford Global Technologies to support the creation of a vehicle concept through sketches, models, research papers and potentially even working models that delivered on the brief. [Article continues after advertisement]

The teams were challenged to create a vehicle that is simple, durable and lightweight. Each vehicle must accommodate at least two people and offer solutions that address assembly, powertrain and sustainability challenges. Perhaps the most challenging criteria was that the concept vehicle was required to have a range of at least 200 kms, and come equipped with a base target price of no more than US$7,000. The teams worked against the deadline of September 1 to submit their proposals which were then reviewed by 5 judges from Ford Motor Company who critiqued each concept to select two concepts that best embodied the Model T spirit, personified the Ford brand and met the challenge criteria.

Developing a 21st century concept of the car that put the world on wheels wasn’t an easy task. While the teams created very different vehicle concepts, each entry incorporated elements influenced by Henry Ford’s original vision, embracing modern technology and packaging it with a functional, simple design.

2015 Model T from the Aachen University team

The students from Aachen University created the “2015 Ford Model T” made of a basic structure complemented by different derivatives including a compact pick-up, a sedan, and a mini city car that would be sold worldwide. The vehicle’s steel body was designed in a simple way and therefore most of the car can be built using standard tools.

The students from Deakin University created a concept vehicle codenamed ‘Model T2’. The small 3-wheel vehicle platform, with a novel steering system, introduced a new dimension to vehicle maneuverability. Through the use of advanced materials and manufacturing processes, the lightweight Model T2 when combined with the use of an innovative powertrain, compressed air rotary hub motors, represents a green and inexpensive vehicle.

Deakin University team's Model T2

To achieve the range of at least 200 kms and keep to the target price, each team applied cutting-edge technologies to power the futuristic concepts with everything from compressed natural gas to a battery-electric power.

“The entire Ford team was very impressed by each of the entries,” Mr. Coughlin said. “We created this challenge looking for the students to push the boundaries and deliver an alternative transportation concept for tomorrow, and they each did just that.”