Design Project 2 | Mini Proposals

In response to the escalating environmental challenges, our proposal focuses on a crucial aspect of promoting sustainable transportation: expanding the electric car charging infrastructure. By strategically increasing the availability of charging slots, we aim to drive the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and encourage more people to make the switch from traditional fossil fuel-powered cars to cleaner and more environmentally friendly alternatives.

The central idea behind this proposal lies in creating an ecosystem that supports and facilitates the use of electric vehicles. By providing a comprehensive and accessible network of charging slots, we remove one of the significant barriers to EV adoption - range anxiety and charging accessibility. A robust charging infrastructure ensures that EV owners can charge their vehicles conveniently, thus increasing confidence in the reliability and practicality of electric cars for daily use , Furthermore, by making electric car charging slots widely available, we are fostering a competitive market for EVs and their associated technologies. This competition can drive down costs, making electric vehicles more affordable and appealing to a broader range of consumers. As more people consider switching to electric cars due to cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits, the demand for EVs will increase, leading to further innovation and improvements in battery technology and charging infrastructure.

To encourage tourists to ride shuttles instead of cars to visit Stanford University, our team proposes to create a roofed space with benches and large digital signboards for each bus stop at the campus. We suppose the current bus stations are so simple that visitors have trouble finding them. Even if people noticed them, they would neglect to use buses as they would be exposed to sunshine or rainfall while waiting. We also feel bus routes written on bus stop signs are difficult for tourists to understand. We believe these factors discourage them from using shuttles. We see a few passengers riding on shuttles, which increases the CO2 emission. We will, therefore, tackle this issue by renovating bus stations in the university. We plan to build a roofed waiting room with seats, ACs, and a digital display showing bus routes on a map. This electricity will be supplied by solar power panels on the roof. To reduce the usage of ACs, we will improve the ventilation of the station.

To encourage tourists at Stanford to travel on bikes, our team proposes to set up shared bikes around the campus. From our observation, we realize a lot of tourists go around by feet, that is not only tiresome, but also time consuming considering the size of Stanford’s campus. These shared bikes will mainly be set outside of the visitor center, where tourists can simply scan a code, enter information, and use the bike for a certain amount of time before they have to pay a certain amount per extra hour. We believe in doing so, tourists will be encouraged to travel around sustainably, as well as efficiently tour Stanford.