2020 Future of Energy Challenge: Mobility – Finalist Teams
The results are in! 8 teams have been selected to participate in the 2020 Future of Energy Challenge. Meet the teams below!
The finalist teams for the 2020 Future of Energy Challenge have been selected and represent various academic institutions and professional industries. The teams will now work with their assigned mentors from Shell to refine their proposals into strong business cases. Teams will then travel to SxSW in Austin, Texas, in March 2020 to participate in an all-day accelerator to finalize their proposals into fully developed and scalable concepts. Teams will then pitch their market-ready proposals in front of an audience and panel of judges who will evaluate their solutions based on clarity, innovation, breakthrough potential, and feasibility of implementation. The audience will then vote to determine the winner of the 2020 Future of Energy Challenge. The winning team will be invited to attend Shell's Powering Progress Together (PPT) forum in San Francisco, California - an event which convenes leaders from across sectors to discuss and collaborate around accelerating the energy transition.
Scroll below to learn more about the 8 finalist teams and their innovative proposals!
SCHOOL NAME
University of Oregon
TEAM NAME
Port
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are MBA students from the University of Oregon's Center for Sustainable Business Practices who are skilled in business strategy and technical analysis and are fostering the transition to clean & renewable energy sources and a sustainable transportation system.
SUMMARY OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY IDEA
Our idea is to create an EV home charging installation, device rental, and grid management service.
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE ON THE WORLD THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?
We want to offer a transition to a clean and renewable energy system that meets the needs of people now while leaving critical resources for those that come after us.
NET IMPACT CHAPTER NAME
Washington D.C. Professional Chapter
TEAM NAME
Nature-Based Fuel Solutions
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are two DC professionals who met working at Enviva. We have backgrounds in forest carbon analysis, environmental policy, and sustainability reporting.
SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS IDEA
Our idea is around leveraging forest management in the western US to develop biofuels for the transportation sector.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
We're excited to learn more about developing an idea into a business model that can scale to meet global challenges.
SCHOOL NAME
Colorado State University
TEAM NAME
Ouro Mobility
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are MBA students from Colorado State University working on employing business solutions to help mitigate transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Our team has combined background experience in finance and accounting, commercial real estate, community engagement and development, vehicle powertrain engineering, and product development.
SUMMARY OF ELECTRIC MOBILITY IDEA
Our idea is an electric carsharing service designed for master-planned housing communities in suburban areas.
WHAT IS A FUN FACT ABOUT YOUR TEAM?
Our team traveled to Montreal, Canada, together in June 2019 to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Mobility.
TEAM NAME
Petal Transport
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are a team of two designers drafting the future of micro-mobility. Beyond design we are re-imagining how fleets operate in the city and how the business of mobility is connected.
SUMMARY OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS IDEA
We are developing an alternative-fuel exchange network for Petal fleets to track use-demand and re-ups at docking stations along with energy inventory & management.
WHAT IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE ON THE WORLD?
We are on a mission to change the way the whole world rides their bikes every day. We hope to change this for the betterment of global mobility.
SCHOOL NAME
Carnegie Mellon University
TEAM NAME
Electrolytes
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are first-year MBA students from Carnegie Mellon University passionate about applying integrated business solutions to problems related to sustainability and access to clean energy.
SUMMARY OF RETAIL STATIONS IDEA
Our idea is to develop on-demand mobile electric vehicle charging stations to alleviate the biggest pain point of electric vehicle owners.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?
The Future of Energy Challenge presents an opportunity for our team to work together in presenting a pitch and communicating our interest in developing sustainable energy solutions to fight climate change.
SCHOOL NAMES
Rice University, Louisiana State University, and University of Texas at Austin
TEAM NAME
CtheTrees
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are a team of undergraduate chemical engineers ready to embark on ambitious careers in the energy sector and excited to develop the future of energy.
SUMMARY OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IDEA
Our idea is a scalable digital platform to educate North American consumers on the benefits of nature-based solutions for carbon offsetting supported by the energy industry and other corporate partners.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?
Our team was inspired by the opportunity to think broadly about the energy industry in transition and imagine what it will look like in 5, 10, or 50 years.
SCHOOL NAME
Carnegie Mellon University
TEAM NAME
EVergency
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are a multidisciplinary team of students and faculty aiming to create innovative energy solutions in emergency situations.
SUMMARY OF ACCESS TO ENERGY IDEA
Our idea focuses on distributed solar energy generation at Shell stations to maintain electricity for charging and battery swapping during extreme weather. In tandem, our solution develops map-based application to optimize evacuation routes for electric vehicle owners.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
We hope to provide a way forward for large-scale adoption of electric vehicles and continue to learn about the industry from experts.
SCHOOL NAME
Texas State University
TEAM NAME
R.E.S: Resilient Energy Systems
TEAM BIOGRAPHY
We are a diverse team combining experience in business and engineering to solve real world problems focused on sustainability and access to energy.
SUMMARY OF ACCESS TO ENERGY IDEA
Our idea is around leveraging microgrids to provide resilient energy to hospitals during times of crisis. Our objective is to minimize the levelized cost of energy through a hybrid energy storage device.
WHAT INSPIRED YOUR TEAM TO APPLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE?
We want to face a challenging opportunity to further develop our idea into something that is feasible and scalable.