SKAI
Strategic Design and Branding for Autonomous Vehicle
My role: strategic advisor, interim Head of Design, Product + Brand
My job was to bring design leadership to the start-up and create SKAI’s entire design ecosystem. Working with the founders, the investors, and brilliant talent, this effort led to the launching of the SKAI vehicle and its brand.
BIG Capital introduced me to Alaka’i’s founders when they had a clear vision and technology for a VTOL vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells but didn’t have any compelling product design and no in-house design team or leader. I helped them implement a design-centric process, recruit the world’s best design talent, and lead them through an outstanding design process.
As always, none of this would have been possible without immensely talented people: big thanks to Heather Fullerton and Maik Kaehler of Moon to Mars and Peter Falt of BMW Designworks.
About
I worked with both the investors and Alakai’s Cofounders, the latter who were key players in NASA’s AGATE program and/ or NASA senior executive and chief strategy officers, the former a notable Asian investment firm — to identify a design strategy and the much need talent for the project. I used my connections and deep network and helped Alaka’i to identify and pick the right partner for their mission: BMW Designworks and Moon to Mars.
At the unveiling in May of 2019, Skai garnered immediate international attention and was reported about in relevant media, including Wired magazine and Fast Company. The vehicle was showcased at BMW’s Next Gen event in Germany in June 2019.
Design Process
1. The Brief
To translate the vision of the investor and best design principles into one source of truth, I created a brief and moodboard for and with BMW Designworks to make sure that the project’s requirements were clearly determined: simply put, the proposal asked for the following: “deliver a vehicle that ensures a smooth, quiet ride with maximum safety and capability with a small noise footprint and maximum visibility for all 5-6 passengers. Elicit a “wow” reaction.”
Moodboard
We wanted to create a friendly, safe and different kind of vehicle that would be very different what people would associate with a new type of autonomous vehicle in the air, with the same kind of comfort one would get in one’s own passenger cabin, albeit with big windows. Eve from Pixar’s Wall-E came to mind: cute and futuristic at the same time.
Philosophy
At Skai, we have been rethinking everything about human mobility, how we got here, and where we are going. We have been dreaming up engineering transportation systems that are simpler, safer, and more enjoyable, doing the most amount of good for the most amount of people with the least amount of impact on the environment.
2. Design
Following a design brief and moodboards, BMW Designworks determined the vehicle architecture and configuration, which included the layout of components such as fuel cell tanks and seating. This was done with consideration to key criteria that included safety, passenger experience and performance, which were evaluated and optimized to arrive at the best solution.
Seating
Optimal seating configuration was done with consideration to key criteria that included safety, passenger experience and performance, which were evaluated and optimized to arrive at the best solution.
The Result
The passenger-carrying model of the Skai (pictured) (pronounced 'sky') was unveiled this week near Los Angeles and the vehicles could be used as cargo carriers and ambulances of the sky as well as taxis, its manufacturers claim. With more power and less weight, fuel cells give us the ability to fly continuously for up to 4 hours. Far exceeding alternative power source flight times.
Lighting
When the vehicle was unveiled, the outcome was beyond expectations: the modern cabin design offers a clean aesthetic with ambient LED lighting to add a warm, calming touch. Well-appointed seats are upholstered with premium materials and stylish accents. The glass canopy windows deliver 180º sight lines for exceptional aerial views.
BMW Next Gen 2019
The vehicle was showcased at BMW’s Next Gen event in Germany in June 2019.
BMW Next Gen 2019
The vehicle was showcased at BMW’s Next Gen event in Germany in June 2019.
The right blue
