Volkswagen recently concluded its very first “Long Distance Mobility and Living Space” project to imagine the future of mobility. The automaker’s leading innovation hub on the West Coast, the Innovation and Engineering Center California (IECC), has worked with the Academy of Art University to provide immersive and hands-on work experiences for its students.

There were 30 students who participated in the project from the School of Industrial Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fashion, Advertising and New Web Media. The project explored the concepts of mobility for long-distance travelers.

IECC, on the other hand, welcomes collaboration, taking new ideas from students. The global Volkswagen Innovation group has also joined the project. The IECC is a center dedicated to researching innovations in mobility, applied artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

The project was divided into five teams with the aim of designing a fluid mobility experience inspired by the vast American landscape. Inevitably, electric vehicles and autonomous mobility were two of the major subjects of the clever concepts.

All student projects can be viewed via a dedicated microsite. One of our favorites would probably be Orbis, which you can see in the embedded video at the top of this page. This project is designed for business travelers looking to balance work and private life.

Urban Cowboy, on the other hand, is a representation of the passion for adventure and admiration for cowboy culture, demonstrating sustainable long-distance travel. The X Hubs imagine an eco-responsible and family-friendly resting place for long-distance travelers to recharge their batteries and reconnect.

After judging by a panel of judges and representatives from Volkswagen of America, five individual students, each with an individual major across all teams, receive a portion of a scholarship fund donated by the company.