Automotive X Prize: Dash+ student dashboard design contest crowns winner

Jun 16, 2010 4:32 PM

After 10,000 online votes, the public has spoken, choosing EDV Technologies from Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, CA, as the winner of the Automotive X Prize Dash+ high school competition. The competition, funded by the Department of Energy, asked students to design an eco-friendly dashboard of the future that provides feedback to encourage fuel-efficient driving. An independent panel of judges selected three teams out of dozens of entries from across the country to be the semifinalists, then public online votes were combined with the judges’ scores to determine the winner.

The EDV team (short for El Diseño Verde), includes mentor Kevin Schantz and students Jake Moghtader, 16; Nikhil Shinday, 15; and Kelvin Noronha, 15. They will travel to Detroit in late July to pitch their ideas to representatives from the automotive industry and meet teams competing in the Automotive X Prize competition.

Their winning dashboard design incorporates technology and awards GreenPoints for driving efficiently. Those points that can earn a driver discounts on car parts or even a new car. The dash calculates green-driving stats and displays diagnostics to help improve efficiency that can be shared with and among friends to help promote a friendly green competition. (View the EDV Technologies DASH+ design and watch video.)

For more on the X Prize, see our special section with videos of some of the contenders as well as insights in our blog coverage.