RMI's Mobility and Vehicle Efficiency Team (MOVE) works with leading organizations on transformative projects to dramatically increase the efficiency of transportation platforms.
- MObility is the ultimate "end use" that people desire, not gallons of gasoline, diesel, or kerosene;
- Vehicle Efficiency is the "least cost" way of achieving the mobility modern societies require.
MOVE focuses on four core transportation sectors: Automotive, Heavy Trucking, Aviation, and Freight. Key areas of work include:
- Lightweight strategy
- Breakthough Design
- Advanced Technology Assessment
- LCA and Sustainability Planning
- Green-focused Competitive Strategy
- Electrification Design and Insight
Examples of recent and current MOVE projects include:
- PHEV Consortium: RMI consortium of four major players (including JCI, Google, Alcoa and the Turner Foundation) supported by an array of experts and stakeholders successfully collaborated to design and develop an optimized PHEV platform and explore bringing this platform profitably to the US market.
- WalMart Trucking: RMI, in collaboration with several other environmental groups, helped WalMart design retrofits and specifications for their heavy trucking fleet. Our work with Wal-Mart motivated them to commit to 25% truck fuel economy improvement in 2007 and to doubling efficiency by 2015.
- Ports of Seattle/Tacoma: RMI worked with the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and other stakeholders in an innovation workshop to create a plan for reducing the Port's environmental impact and increasing the energy efficiency of container operations.
- Major OEM Lightweight Vehicle Project: RMI worked with a major OEM to help them realize the financial and efficiency benefits of lightweighting vehicles via detailed analysis of the interactions between material attributes, efficiency, and costs. The project found that lightweighting could lead to significant fuel economy gains at a cost far less than those of technologies such as hybridization.
- "Smart Garage" Summit: RMI is working with 15 industry participants to convene a design Summit which will create a road map, financial model, and lay groundwork for basic standards for the"Smart Garage." The Smart Garage is a new energy paradigm, where the electrification of vehicles brings together the energy systems of the grid, transport, and buildings to improve the efficiency of all and better incorporate renewables.
Responsibilities: MOVE interns work on between 1 and 3 projects simultaneously, ranging from fast-paced consulting work to longer-term research, and covering topics in all of our core project areas. Interns work under the guidance of a project manager and other senior staff to conduct project work focused on quantitative analysis, data manipulation, writing, and research.
We are currently looking for an intern who excels in quantitative and modeling skills to support several exciting projects. This intern will be expected to learn and excel in Life Cycle Assessment modeling, basic technological modeling for transport systems, financial modeling and basic statistical analysis. Specific projects in our summer pipeline include: Smart Garage Summit (briefly described above), LCA for major land holdings, LCA of advanced batteries, integrative design modeling for vehicles systems, and modeling electric vehicle systems, financial modeling for innovative transportation systems (in cities, large corporations, freight logistics, etc).
Our interns have the opportunity to travel to a variety of transportation-related locations, interact with clients and the most senior RMI staff, and play an active and responsible role in the team projects. Therefore, interns must be comfortable interacting with more senior individuals, behave with professionalism, and have confidence and self-motivation in their work.
Qualifications: Undergraduate and Graduate level studies concentrating in one of the following:
• Engineering: mechanical, energy, environmental, electrical, civil.
• Economics/business
• Mathematics/statistics
• Environmental Science
• Transportation-specific studies
Environmental policy and law background welcome as long as the candidate also has an extremely strong analytical/quantitative background. Strong writing and oral communications skills, analytical abilities, experience in team-based work, and demonstrated commitment to issues of sustainability and resource efficiency. The most successful candidate will be able to work equally well with “soft” and “hard” information and analysis, and combine qualitative and quantitative data into compelling documents, presentations and conclusions.
We are specifically looking for proven experience in Microsoft Excel and Matlab as well as modeling experience. Background in LCA, PSAT, or interactive systems and financial modeling a plus.
Compensation: The Intern will receive a monthly stipend and housing assistance.
Location: Snowmass, Colorado or Boulder, Colorado
Duration: 3–6 months, start early summer 2008.
How to apply:Please send a cover letter, resume, transcripts, two letters of reference, and a two-page, single spaced, self-edited writing sample (Word or PDF documents) describing your interests and why you would be an outstanding candidate. Published material (or material from studies) that demonstrates modeling capabilities is also welcome. Please indicate "MOVE SUMMER INTERN" in the e-mail subject line.
Applications are due by June 1
Interviews will take place June 4-6
Candidates will be notified June 9-10
Internship will start in early July
All applications should be sent to: MoveJobs@rmi.org
