ExxonMobil has decided to sponsor a flagship programme at Clemson University in South Carolina, USA in order to drive the development of vehicle sustainability solutions. As part of the programme, named Deep Orange, automotive engineering graduate students will get to build a sustainable concept vehicle that may influence future vehicle designs.
The Deep Orange project aims to create a mobility solution that will be very durable yet extremely efficient and lightweight. In addition to the operational footprint, the project will also look at sustainability issues elsewhere in the vehicle’s lifecycle. This includes manufacture and decommission with a view to the circular economy, which relates to reusing materials from decommissioned products in the construction of new equivalent products rather than downgrading them for use in less demanding applications.
Students in the programme will get experience working alongside engineers at ExxonMobil, which makes a range of sustainability oriented products in addition to lubricants for Mobil stockists.
Speaking for ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Stuart Milne said about the collaboration:
“We’ve developed lighter-weight vehicle plastics, liners that keep tires inflated longer, tire tread additives to reduce roll resistance, and advanced fuels and lubricants that improve engine performance. We’re excited to work closely with the future leaders of sustainable mobility at Clemson as part of an effort to further drive automotive innovation.”
Once they create a sufficiently mature design, the students will create mock-ups and use these prototypes to solicit opinions from end-users, with this guiding the design process until the end-users are happy with a final design.
