Title: Session #6 - University of Alberta EcoCar

Duration: 1:49 minutes

Description:

Members of the University of Alberta EcoCar Team describe their experience of creating their entry for Pitch the Future.

Session #6 - University of Alberta EcoCar Transcript

[Background music plays]

Bright, uplifting instrumental music.

[Video footage]

Six team members on a video call, speaking parts of a sentence in sequence, against an animated background of yellow and aqua turning gears.

Team members

Hi. We are the University of Alberta EcoCar Team.

[Video footage]

Split screen of all six team members, three young women and three young men, dressed casually, smiling and waving. 

[Animated sequence]

Aqua background, with wavy dotted lines moving. Words appear in yellow and white.

[Text on screen]

Pitch the Future, tracking and reducing CO2 emissions from vehicles with Microsoft. University of Alberta EcoCar Team, Canada.

[Video footage]

Team member 1 is shown on the screen. While she is speaking, a series of photos of the team are shown. Several team members pose in their workshop around a prototype car bearing many logos, including EcoCar, Shell and Toyota. A posed team photo around the same prototype car, with a backdrop reading Shell Eco-marathon. Many team members are wearing green T-shirts with the EcoCar logo. A banner held by some of the people in the front row reads University of Alberta EcoCar Prototype Team.

Team member 1

The University of Alberta EcoCar Team was first founded in 2010, so we're celebrating our tenth anniversary this year.

[Video footage]

Team member 1 is shown. As she speaks, a rapid sequence of photos of other team members is shown. They are a mix of genders and ethnicities. An animation from the team pitch video shows a group of stylised people with footprints labelled CO2 appearing beneath them.

Team member 1

A fun fact about the team is that team is that EcoCar has gender parity, so there's approximately equal numbers of men and women on the team.

[Video footage]

The split screen with six team members is shown. Team member 2 is speaking. Cut to team member 2 alone. Footage from the team pitch video is shown, showing a Google search screen with a Halloween-themed Google doodle. The words how to increase fuel efficiency are typed into the search box. A slide is shown entitled, how does Ecoach work? The slide shows a smartphone, with the words smartphone app. Green boxes show inputs to the smartphone app. The first is GPS tracker, with kinematic data, speed, acceleration and location. The second is user input, with vehicle model, fuel volume and type. The third is external data sources, with vehicle information, traffic and weather, and topography data. The output from the app goes to the driver, which is represented by a steering wheel. This is labelled helpful driver feedback, improved driving habits. A thought bubble is above the smartphone, labelled the cloud. 

A second slide is shown, entitled User Interface. Three views of a smartphone are shown, one showing a map, the second showing a GPS direction system, showing the instruction reduce acceleration. The third shows some line graphs.

Team member 2

So, our idea for Pitch the Future in a sentence is, we designed the Ecoach tracking system to combine data collected by a GPS with user input information to predict ways to improve driving efficiency, which will ultimately reduce carbon emissions. 

[Video footage]

Footage from the team pitch video is shown. A slide is shown entitled, how does Ecoach work? A diagram in the middle of the slide shows a smartphone connecting via Bluetooth to a GPS tracker, which has a two-way connection with a satellite. On the left of the slide is a bulleted list titled obtaining data. Device includes a GPS that will track speed, acceleration and location of vehicle and log it into the device. Obtains vehicle make and model from user input. Accesses a database of the vehicle's specifications. Encourages user to enter volume of fuel when refuelling.

One the right of the slide is another bulleted list titled using data. Location information is used to track factors like weather that influence fuel consumption. Speed and acceleration data is used to compare car's estimated fuel consumption to the optimal one. Refuelling data is used to validate calculated fuel consumption/carbon emissions. Team member 3 is shown, then the split screen with six team members. 

Footage from the team pitch video plays, showing an animated car driving through a hilly landscape with a speech bubble above the car showing the three views of the smartphone user interface.

Team member 3

Collectively, I think we as a team decided to take part in Pitch the Future because it offered an opportunity for us to be collaborative and creative, even amidst a global pandemic, and allowed us to both keep our minds sharp and even have a bit of fun while we're off-campus.

[Video footage]

Team member 2 is shown. As he speaks, footage from the team pitch video is shown. The animated car driving through a hilly landscape is shown, this time the Ecoach logo is trailing it. The background turns to black, and the Ecoach logo grows to fill the screen. The logo disappears and is replaced by a spinning globe against a black background. Team member 2 again appears.

Team member 2

Our favourite part of the idea process has been the notion that in a way, we're doing a similar to what professional employees of companies are doing. Granted, we're doing it on a minute scale, compared to these companies, but it still feels refreshing to get a taste of real-world problem solving.

[Text on screen]

What has your team learned?

[Video footage]

Team member 4 is shown. As she speaks, footage from the team pitch video is shown. A slide is shown, titled What is Ecoach? A bulleted list shows on the left of the screen. Informs drivers on how to be more efficient with their driving habits. Can be easily installed in any vehicle. Accessible through a smartphone app. Takes and protects data from the vehicle both externally and through driver input. Interactive user interface. The right side of the slide contains a graph showing the relationship between driving habits and average fuel efficiency.

Team member 4

As a team, we learned how to communicate together virtually and share our ideas.

[Text on screen]

Why are you proud of your team?

[Video footage]

Team member 1 is shown. Cut to split screen showing six team members, with team member 1 speaking. Footage from the team pitch video plays, showing a black footprint labelled CO2 on a grey background. The footprint at first fills the screen and then shrinks down to tiny size. Team member 1 is again shown, then the split screen with six. 

Team member 1

I'm incredibly proud of how our team has come together to work at a problem that was completely different from anything we had tried before. Everyone approached the challenge with such enthusiasm and willingness to learn from each other, and I think that we all grew from the experience.

[Text on screen]

Three words you think best describe Pitch the Future?

[Video footage]

Team member 5 appears on screen. As he speaks, the screen splits to show all six team members. They smile and wave.

Team member 5

Innovative, original and visionary.

[Audio]

Shell jingle plays.

[Graphic]

Shell logo centred on a background of animated turning gears.

[Text displays]

#MakeTheFuture #ShellEcoMarathon © Shell International Limited 2020