This project is a sponsored thesis by Tesla Motors, Inc., an American automotive and energy storage company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric cars, electric vehicle powertrain components, and battery products. The project was all about challenging the perception of what an electric vehicle can or should be. When people think of off-road vehicles, they think about getting off the grid, freedom, and exploration.

When people think about electric vehicles, they are usually on the other end of that spectrum, so I wanted to explore a solution that challenges that thinking through the use of the Tesla electric architecture and product ecosystem.

- Jason McGinnity

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It starts with the architecture; the battery pack below the flat floor provides a low center of gravity, above which the structure can be designed to accept removable doors, targa tops, and a sliding c-pillar/roof rail to transform the rear space. At the front is a frunk bed (front truck bed), and because there is no need for a traditional firewall, the 'safari' style front windshield can be cleanly integrated as drop glass. When all the components are removed and the front glass is down, inside becomes outside and the outdoors can be fully experienced.

- Jason McGinnity

Mounted on the rear swing arm is the Tesla Backpack, a range extending battery pack that is the electric equivalent of the Jerry Can. The Tesla Backpack would be a scaled version of the Powerwall and could be rented at Supercharger stations nearby popular off-road exploration hubs or could double as a supplement to a Powerwall system at your home. A 7-10kWh pack could provide 30-40 miles of range, more than enough for a few days of rock crawling. The rear lights are designed as handles, the left to open the rear tailgate, and the right to open the swingarm to attach onto a Tesla Backpack.

- Jason McGinnity

ABOUT JASON MCGINNITY

Jason McGinnity is multidisciplinary designer with a background in product and transportation design from Santa Monica, California. He thrive in fast-paced and competitive environments. A natural leader and he strive to be a catalyst for pulling interdisciplinary teams closer together inside and outside the studio to create meaningful and beautiful design solutions.

He believes people and proportion are the key ingredients to meaningful, lasting design. He loves studying people and the products they use. He is quick to establish insights into user behavior and prides himself on his eye for proportion and detail. He graduated with a B.S. in Transportation Design from Art Center in August 2015. And he recently finished interning and completing a sponsored thesis at Tesla Motors in Hawthorne, California.

Outside the studio he enjoys cycling, hiking, craft beer, traveling, and being surrounded by great people. See more of his artworks in Behance and his website.