Feb 13, 2007 (Rotterdam, the Netherlands): OSGV Project kick-off meeting has been conducted at Rotterdam University (Hogeschool Rotterdam - HRO - in Dutch). More than 60 engineering students expressed interests to join the project and design work will begin next week, says Mr. Roeland Hogt, Senior Lecturer of HRO and designer of Fabulo Design who is leading the development in the Netherlands.

Stage 1 conceptual packaging design is completed in January. And the schedule dates for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR) are June, 2007 and October ,2007 respectively. The prototyping of the vehicle will follow the successful completion of CDR and the implementation of all necessary design changes.

“For me the central theme is to explore, develop and apply the talents I have been given and share this in harmony with love and friendship,” says Hogt, “Design of vehicles has always been my boys dream. Many times I explored the chances for succes in creating own designs and by competing in design contests. Somehow the flow of my life has brought me here to become your lecturer in Automotive design and engineering. Somehow internet has brought the project management of the Open Source Green Vehicle www.osgv.org to my design portfolio on www.fabulo.nl.”

A letter of intent is executed between HRO and OSGV to co-develop the Kernel electric car. See more at: http://www.osgv.org/kernel-electric-car-green-suv-phev/

“What we want to do here is to encourage the students to think ahead,” says David Lee, OSGV’s Project Director, and to think globally, not just on the products they will be working on; and to think for themselves, not just accepting whatever they are told were true. They have the power to improve our quality of life but also the power to destroy it. We build environmental awareness in the automotive industry from the ground up. Soon enough, these students will be on the way to become the next generation of automotive engineers designing new cars around the world, that’s when this partnership will pay off.”

He added, “a real-life project (not like other college projects that would be thrown away) will require students to tackle real-life challenge in engineering and manufacturing and challenge them to make business decisions see how it affects the design of the cars.”