NISSAN has set sparks flying by teaming up with an industry leading University for graduate employability in Europe to challenge budding business and engineering design students to present their ideas on the future of electric vehicles.
In partnership with Aston University in Birmingham, Nissan has launched a competition in which students have the opportunity to step into Nissan employees’ shoes and address a business challenge in the field of EV motoring.
Throughout the competition, Nissan will reach hundreds of the next generation of leaders in marketing, business and engineering. Second year business and engineering students at Aston University have been asked to come up with a strategy to promote the enV200, specifically focusing on the case for small to medium sized businesses (SMEs).
The teams will present their plan to an experienced panel of Nissan executives, Aston professors, and other high profile partnership organisations at a conference organised by the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer on the 18th February.
Within those teams the most promising students will be offered the chance to take part in the assessment centre for a placement at Nissan. As part of the placements, the winning students will work alongside the Nissan electric vehicle product team to develop their ideas whilst gaining priceless knowledge and experience of the inner workings at Nissan.
The half-day event will be held at Aston University’s compact campus location in the heart of Birmingham and will give students the opportunity to engage with Nissan’s top engineers.
Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles, Nissan Europe, said: “Electric vehicle technology is the future; there is no doubt about that.
“In the UK specifically, the electric vehicle market is growing at a phenomenal rate and it’s a truly exciting time for all of those at the forefront of it all.
“Having young talent joining the conversation and playing a role in the shift to zero emission mobility is something I really encourage and I look forward to exploring some of the ideas that Aston’s students have come up with and helping them to develop these further.”
Professor Bjorn Birgisson, Executive Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, said: “Engineering and applied sciences are very much at the forefront of developing low carbon technologies and solutions for the future.
“This collaboration with Nissan is a fantastic opportunity for our students to present their engineering ideas and strategies to a leading automotive manufacturer while gaining valuable experience of electric vehicle production in the process.”
During the competition, students that entered were given a behind-the-scenes look inside Nissan’s Technical Facility in Cranfield, Bedfordshire to aid the development of their submissions. Students were provided with presentations that gave background information about Nissan’s presence in the UK as well as the development of e-NV200, and were given a tour of the facility.
In 2014, Nissan launched its second electric vehicle to the UK market, the 100% electric e-NV200, bolstering its leadership in zero emission mobility. The Nissan LEAF was launched in 2010 and has been the best-selling electric car for four years in a row.
