Submission

Lightweight all of the things!

Lets light weight vehicles with carbon fibers and 3d printing. Reducing vehicle weight improves fuel use, and lowers emissions up to 50%.

I'm a fixer. For the 20 years I've been passionate about fixing our energy problems. I've studied chemical engineering, software engineering, policy, business, and economics to address the real and immediate needs of our society. I've applied my technical training in the real world to address renewable jet fuels for the commercial aviation industry, renewable power for low income families and Native American Tribes and First Nations across North America.

I prize running, biking, and skateboarding to work. I'm grateful my worst-case commute is a 40–minute walk home along the Charles River.

Composites are awesome, but expensive. While you can buy a $500,000 hyper car made of carbon fiber and Formula-1 technology, you can't buy a $10,000 light-weight Hyundai. The Grand Challenge would propose a prize competition to solve the challenges associated with reducing the cost of composite manufacturing.

Composite vehicles use less fuel usage, make fewer emissions, and create less wear and tear on roads.

Light weighting the vehicle industry in the near term has many mutually reinforcing benefits for the transportation and infrastructure industry, and society in general. Our transportation industry would have less wear and tear. Our roads would be quieter and safer. Our air would be cleaner. The world would look more 21st century. It would look like the future.