EV Super Micro Mobility Design Contest
Project Overview

電気自動車普及協議会
Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

Vｅｒ 1.03

Purpose
Recently, increasing attention is being paid to government involvement with Super Micro Mobilities (SMMs), andvarious trials concerning the development of SMMs are also currently being conducted in the private sector.
Given this present situation, APEV has planned a contest to encourage the promotion of SMMs, as well as to offer
the opportunity to experience the excitement of manufacturing to students who will lead the next generation.

EV Super Micro Mobility Design Contest
Project Overview & Objectives•To gather, screen & release 3D designs of an EV SMM body which meet the standards set by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
APEV is looking for a design not only of the vehicle itself but also of its ongoing relations with society,environment, communities, people, culture, etc.
•In order to carry out the project, teams of student designers are expected to be organized into teams.
•A team must consist of no less than 2 members, and should promote cooperation, creating an environment inwhich all members
can generate, share & develop ideas.
•A feature perhaps unique to this competition: participants will share their progress via a social networking
platform, and their creative processes will in turn be subject to evaluation.
•3D design tools will be provided to participants during the final screening.
•Digital tools should be regarded as ‘resources’ rather than merely as ‘tools’.
•The contest will be held annually from this year on, and its final goal will be the realization of the participants’ 3D
designs.
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

2What is a Super Micro Mobility (SMM)?
What is a Super Micro Mobility (SMM)?
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism defines a Super Micro Mobility as “smaller than anautomobile, for the use of 1 or 2 passengers; able to easily maneuver in small spaces, providing eco-friendly andeasy transportation for local communities” in “Safety Guidelines for the Introduction of Super Micro Mobilities”,published in June 2012. (http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000212867.pdf) (Japanese language)
In addition, it is expected that the introduction and promotion of SMMs will subsequently benefit society in a multitudeof ways, such as by decreasing CO2, increasing the vibrancy of local communities, providing a new means oftransport in cities, encouraging elderly people and parents with infants in their daily lives, and so on.
The following criteria are described in the paper “System for the certification of SMMs” under the report titled“Introduction of the SMMs”, released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan on
1st Feb 2013 (http://www.mlit.go.jp/jidosha/jidosha_fr1_000043.html.) (Japanese language)
A Super Micro Mobility must meet all of the conditions below.
①The length, height and width of the vehicle’s body are all within the standard measurements for a light vehicle .
Maximum size of the Light vehicle in Japan (KEI) are Length=3.4meters ,Height=2meters,Width=1.48meters.
②
The capacity of the vehicle is 2 passengers (3 passengers in case with 2 small children in assisting seats)③
Rated output does not exceed 8 kilowatts. (Less than 125cc in case of ICE)
④The vehicle runs only in areas where traffic safety is monitored by a local government, and does not run onhighways
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

3Organizations
Organizations Involved
Host:
Supporters:

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV)
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Graduate School ofInterdisciplinary Information Studies University of TokyoDASSAULT SYSTEMS•The secretariat unifying all the relevant participants and organizations will be
responsible to APEV.
•Yamauchi Laboratory (Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, University ofTokyo) will invent, research and examine an educational system utilizing CAD andsocial networks.
•DASSAULT SYSTEMS will provide 3D design software and a social networking
platform.
*APEV is continuingly looking for supportive companies that would be interested inproviding hardware and/or software for the contest.
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

4Expected Participants and Screening
Expected Participants
Teams of students from domestic & overseas institutions. A team must consist of no less than 2 members, and all members
must be over 18 years old. Entry forms are now being collected.
Screening Processes
1) First round: vehicle concept, including description of practical use & 2D sketch of vehicle (drawing by hand accepted).
2) Final round: 3D realization of the designs that passed the first round.
Screening Criteria
The four criteria below (for both the first and the final screenings):
Concept

Clarity of concepts. Teams should clearly imagine and express the ongoing relations between
the EV SMM and society, the environment, communities, populations, culture, etc.

Originality

Originality of ideas. Note that the design must be the original work of participants, and musthave never been released before.

Feasibility

Plausibility of designs. Teams should aim to produce ideas that could convincingly berealized in the future.

Communication among participants

Active use of social networking platforms. Teams will be evaluated not only based on their
final work submitted, but also on their creation processes (i.e. the quality & frequency of
posts & communication with other participants via social networks)

Tools to be used

•When winners of the first selection prepare for the Final round of screening, they will use 3D design software and hardware provided forfree by sponsor companies for the duration of the contest.
•The competitors will exchange information with the hosts, other competitors and observers via social networks.
*APEV is continuingly looking for supportive companies that would be interested in providing hardware and/or software for the contest.
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

5

Screening Committee, Schedule, Awards
The head of Screening committee
Mr Ken Okuyama (Industrial designer & CEO, KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN)

Screening committee
Mr Tadao Ando (Architect & Professor emeritus, University of Tokyo)
Ms Mineko Orisaku (Photographer & Professor, Photography Department, Osaka University of Arts)
Mr Yoichiro Kawaguchi (Professor, Interfaculty Initiatives in Information Studies, University of Tokyo)
Mr Akira Fujimoto (Publication representative of ‘Car Styling’)
Mr Nobuhiro Tajima (Chief Commissioner, APEV)

Schedule
Official announcement: Tuesday, January 15 2013
Participation will be closed: Wednesday, May 8 2013
Deadline for the first round: Friday, June 28 2013
Result of the first round will come out: Wednesday, July 10 2013
Deadline for the final round: Friday, September 27 2013
The final result will be announced: Friday, October 11 2013
Conference at Tokyo Motor Shaw “SMART MOBILITY CITY”: End of November 2013
*The schedule is subject to change.

AwardsSpecial experience involving EV, e.g. meeting a well-known designer, opportunities to visit overseas institutions(organizations, colleges/universities, companies, etc.)
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

6Benefits for participating students
Benefits for participating students
This contest is expected to offer students the chance to:•Improve their ability to elaborate concepts, to design and makeproposals•Present their skills to the wider world and widen their career paths•Sharpen their manipulation of digital tools•Merchandize their ideas

電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

7

Entrance Procedure
How to enter
Please fill in the entry form attached separately and send it to the secretariat.
(Secretary-general: Gen Yasujima, contest@apev.jp)*Please refer to page 9 for details.
Eligibilities•Teams of students from domestic & overseas institutions. A team must consist of no less than 2 members, and all
members must be over 18 years old.
•Any nationality is eligible.
•Participants must register accounts on the social networking system provided, and are expected to post progress
reports on a weekly basis, as well as making constructive comments to other teams.
•Participants are expected to participate in evaluative surveys of the contest both before & after it has run its course.
Focal points of submissions
i.e. Conceptual designs of vehicle & its environment•First round: vehicle concept, including description of practical use & 2D sketch of vehicle (drawing by hand accepted)•Final round: 3D realization of designs that passed the first round & materials for their presentation*Each team must make one submission each.
*The 3D design software will be only provided to the winners of the first round.

電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

8Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions•The design must be the original work of participants, and must have never been released before.
•Submissions which defy public order and/or standards of decency, comprise slanderous statements, and/or infringe the rights or benefits ofothers, will not be included in the selection. Should such problems come to light even after the awarding ceremony, the works involved will still beeliminated.
•Entering submitted work simultaneously into any other contest is forbidden. In addition, teams must obtain confirmation from APEV before
sharing their progress with other organizations after having made their entry.
•The materials submitted will not be returned. Teams are therefore advised to keep a copy for their own use if necessary.
•Responsibility for production costs rests with the teams themselves. 3D design software, however, will be provided free of charge to the winnersof the first round.
•Regardless of which submissions are awarded, all of the intellectual property rights, such as those of visual ideas, design patents, feasible newideas, trademarks, etc. of all participants’ work will be shared with APEV. Both their implementation and use will also, in turn, requireconfirmation from APEV.
•Upon entry participants are advised to take appropriate action independently, such as organizing rights protection, if deemed necessary. Shouldproblems involving third parties arise, APEV will be unable to take any responsibility, and participants are expected to seek solutions themselvesat their own costs.
•APEV reserves the right to feature awarded works in exhibitions, websites, and media that the organization publishes. APEV will also provide
information concerning awarded works to the media at press conferences.
•Should participants’ designs be realized or commercialized, their creators will be obliged to discuss copyright, terms of implementation, use, andany other rights of their work with the manufacturers and/or sponsors involved. APEV may act as an intermediary in this consultation.
•Should participants’ designs be realized or commercialized, their creators may be asked to express their involvement with the contest.
•Names, ages, careers, etc. of the winner(s) will be released in print, on the internet, and to the press.
•Please bear in mind that participants’ work and comments may be used for further research purposes.

Privacy Policy
All of the information you provide will be used only to the extent necessary for the purposes below.
•To inform participants of selection results•To provide new information about the contest•To make inquiries to participants about their work
Further, the Committee will also treat participants’ information with the greatest care, and will endeavor to prevent it being leaked or falsified.
電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

9Prospective sponsors
Sponsors
Prospective sponsors:
Stratasys Japan Inc.,
Benesse Holdings, Inc.,
Wacom Co., Ltd., Dell Inc.,
Hewlett-Packard Japan, Ltd.,
Lenovo Japan, Ltd.,ASPROS INC.
*Sponsors are continuingly being sought.

電気自動車普及協議会

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles

10Schedule of the contest
JanFebMar

AprMayJunJulAugSepOct

Nov

Seeking Sponsors
Entry is opened
Official
Announcement

First roundFinal round● Entry is closed● First round is closed

1次審査フェーズ

Result of first roundare announced
2D designprocess● Final round is closed
Final result areannounced

3D design process

Communication via social networks
TOKYO MOTOR SHOW SYMPOSIUM ●電気自動車普及協議会● Social event

Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles●● Social event

Awardingceremonyin Tokyo11

We would like to offer our thanks foryour continued support and endorsement.