HOUSTON, TX - December 6, 2022 - (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) - Today, the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design opened an exhibition of new Electric Vehicle Concepts. Sponsored by Photon Auto, an EV company from Houston, this collaboration started a few months ago to unleash creativity of UH undergraduate students in creating fresh EV concepts from scratch. Sixteen projects explore the best interior and exterior designs for the new generation of Luxury EV.

Mark Kimbrough and Jeff Feng, co-directors of the industrial design program, created this opportunity for Seniors and Juniors to cooperate, collaborate and get first-hand feedback from the industry.

“Through our program, students in the past have designed other modes of transportation, such as bicycles and electric scooters,” said Kimbrough, instructional associate professor of industrial design, “but we’ve never done a car. The timing for this project is amazing, because the electric vehicle industry is moving to Texas. This is an opportunity to position our design program and be ready for the industry.”

The competition was made possible through sponsors Photon Auto Inc, TexPower EV Technologies Inc, and IQP Inc. (Integrated Quantum Photonics). Photon Auto, based in Houston, is developing a new luxury electric vehicle with a range of 500+ miles and is equipped with lidar systems, which send pulses of laser light to determine the presence, shape and distance of objects, and advanced crash prevention systems.

TexPower develops cobalt-free high-energy cathode materials for lithium-based batteries for premium electric vehicle markets and special applications. Additionally, it is working on a new 350 watt hour per kilogram battery to power Photon Auto electric vehicles.

Professor Arumugam Manthiram from UT Austin, Chairman of TexPower shared his vision of electric vehicles. UT stands behind breakthrough innovations in li-ion battery development over the last three decades that led to creation of modern EV batteries based on Ni and LFP chemistries. “High efficiency, safety, reliability and affordable cost per Wh in a battery – that’s what will really shift mass transition to true electric mobility” – said Professor.

IQP has invented and patented a new type of photonic sensor with aims to transform the industry and make electric vehicles safer.

Professor Valeri Saveliev, a renowned physicist and Chief Science Officer of IQP mentioned that “..the truth is that autonomous driving is impossible without trust between human and machine as passenger’s life and health is at risk. Trust can be earned only through safety, and safety is achieved through a variety of smart, accurate sensors and intellectual systems. As long as EV can reliably prevent a crash, the drivers will become passengers and spend their time on the road more efficiently and with greater comfort”.

Students are judged based on innovation, originality, quality of aesthetics, and quality of execution. Scaled 3D printed models of the exterior designs are on display. These will serve as study models for judges to understand the form of the design. A more detailed look at the vehicle exteriors is provided through large, high-resolution digital renderings. Interior designs are also presented through digital renderings.

The first-place winner will receive $1,000 and the opportunity to intern with Photon Auto.

“We are thrilled to have such a concentration of talent in Houston. The city is rapidly transitioning to a hub of innovation in electric vehicle technologies, including car design, batteries and photonics. I’m very pleased to see  how young designers diligently incorporated the ideas of luxury, comfortable and safe autonomous riding which Photon Auto envisions in our coming electric vehicles”, said John Houghtaling, CEO of Photon Auto.

About Photon Auto Inc:

Photon Auto, based in Houston, is developing a new luxury electric vehicle with a range of 500+ miles and is equipped with lidar systems, which send pulses of laser light to determine the presence, shape and distance of objects, and advanced crash prevention systems. Photon Auto was founded in 2022 to produce small batches of luxury EV with next-gen technologies, such as Ultra High Energy Battery and LIDAR for Crash Prevention.