Coventry Graduates scoop Pilkington Automotive Awards

Two former Coventry University Vehicle Design students have been recognised for their talent at this year’s 25th Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards at the Royal College of Art.  Henry Cloke aged 24, received the award for ‘Best Design Interpretation’ and Adam Setter, also 24, received a commendation for his vehicle design concept. 

The $19bn zero carbon footprint Masdar City, currently under construction near Abu Dhabi, provided the inspiration for this year’s Best Design Interpretation Award. The winning entry, Power of Zero, has been developed as a zero-emission rental vehicle for urban and pedestrianised areas.  According to Henry, it could potentially be developed as an alternative to the Personal Rapid Transport system that has been shelved following its pilot at Masdar City. 

He said:

If developed, the Power of Zero vehicles could be hired out to help transport people around a city, similar to a Segway or cycle hire scheme.  Its design allows it to be folded and stacked one on top of another too, ensuring that minimal space is needed to park and store them.

Power of Zero’s striking double-ring design is driven by an electric motor encased within the hinges. Henry explained: 

For vehicle manufacturers, one of the negatives in using electric motors is the weight of the batteries.  In this design, the weight is put to use by providing support to the balancing mechanism within the vehicle.

Adam’s effort, Glitch, incorporated a new technique for creating design ideas by using apps to digitally manipulate source data from 2D images as a tool to aid future responsible design.

After completing their studies at the Royal College of Art, both students will move on to jobs at prestigious automotive companies - Henry at the Rolls Royce plant in Munich and Adam joining Jaguar Land Rover in Gaydon.  

Chris Bolton, Product Sales Manager at Pilkington Automotive, said:

This year’s RCA students have surpassed expectations.  The pressure to produce economical and environmentally-friendly designs has obviously provided great inspiration.  In their designs they have demonstrated exciting vision and innovation for the future in glazing and car design.

The Pilkington Automotive Awards, in partnership with the RCA, have become a recognised barometer for celebrating the next generation of vehicle designers. 

Professor Dale Harrow at the Royal College of Art explains:

The Pilkington Automotive awards at the RCA graduate show are the ideal platform for the world’s up and coming designers. Potential employers look to these awards to find fresh talent in the industry that are likely to create designs of value and commercial awareness, products that their customers will be astonished with.