The Future of the Automobile - Winter 2011/2012 Previous Terms: Spring 2009, Autumn 2009, Winter 2010 , Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Winter 2011, Spring 2011 Seminar on Automotive Topics at the Intersection of Technology - Environment - Economy - Society - Politics The concept of this course is to present, discuss, and envision the future of the automobile in terms of sustainability, safety, performance, and enjoyment. Students and invited speakers from academia and industry present their research and share their visions, explain challenges, and offer solutions regarding personal mobility. In addition, open discussion sessions will be scheduled based on the input from students. The goal of the course is to develop an understanding for the interactions of technology, business, and society with a specific automotive focus and assess technology in a larger context than someone’s primary educational background. Students should have a basic background in engineering, social sciences, business, or law. This background should provide the students with the ability to discuss automotive topics and put them in an interdisciplinary context. It is essential to understand that an automobile, beyond technology, influences and is being influenced by a variety of culture, society, legal, and business aspects.
Instructors	Sven Beiker, Chris Gerdes, guest lecturers to be announced
Time	Tuesdays, 12:15-1:05PM
Location	Building 550 (Peterson Laboratory), Room 200 (map)
Format	Open seminar; guest lectures from industry and academia; students discussing automotive topics based on lectures
Level	Advanced undergrad or beginning grads
Grading	1 unit, S/NC, based on individual input to the course, 70% attendance minimum For satisfactory, students needs to submit 1 one-pager essays that will be used in the seminar discussion (further details will be announce in class).
Schedule (preliminary)	Jan 10 Introduction: Instructions, Overview of Topics (Sven Beiker, CARS - Stanford University) Jan 17 Future Visions for Electric Mobility (Peter Dempster, BMW Group) Jan 24 American Journey 2.0 (TJ Giuli, Ford Motor Company) Jan 31 Mutual Influence of the Automobile and Urbanization (Joseph Kott, Program On Urban Studies - Stanford University) Feb 7 Autonomous Driving and Human Challenges (Chris Gerdes, Dynamic Design Lab - Stanford University) Feb 14 Open Discussion w/ Students and Instructors Feb 21 Vehicle Electrification (Nancy Gioia, Ford Motor Company) Feb 28 Mobile Devices vs. Mobility Choices (lecturer to be announced) Mar 6 Carsharing as a Trend for Young People? (Angus Davol, Parking & Transportation Services - Stanford University) Mar 13 Summary of the Class
Office Hrs	After class and upon request
Contact	Sven Beiker, Bldg 550 / Rm 131,beiker@stanford.edu, 736-1504