Fung Capstone Project with Mercedes-Benz Implemented at Ladera Ranch

Working with former BEST Labber Rasheq Zarif of Mercedes-Benz, Prof. Agogino’s 2013-14 Masters of Engineering Capstone team developed prototype routings and user interfaces for the project, also with estimates of life cycle energy and carbon benefits. Exclusively for Ranch residents, RanchRide is the convenient, easy and eco-friendly way to get where you want to go. From one of the press releases: “Starting Monday, November 10, 2014, the new pilot program called “RanchRide” will offer a host of convenient transportation or “mobility” services exclusively to residents of the 4,000-acre community and the 6,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo community, both in South Orange County, CA. Originally introduced in late July during a test phase, RanchRide is a partnership between the Business Innovation group of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. and Rancho Mission Viejo, LLC, master planner and developer of Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo, the largest new community in California with up to 14,000 homes planned in several villages.” Another article emphasizes that Mercedes-Benz shows commitment to mobility optimization. Photo in the upper right shows Richard Broming, senior vice president of planning and entitlement for Rancho Mission Viejo, left, with Rasheq Zarif, senior manager business innovation at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America Inc. Quote from our sponsor Rasheq Zarif: “It was really great having the Capstone team working with us on our Residential Mobility project. Their research and concept creation played into the development of what is called RanchRide today.”

Photo of Rasheq Zarif

Also see: RanchRide Launches Nov. 10 with the Help of M.Eng. ’14 Capstone Team
Taken from KLTV

Starting Monday, November 10, 2014, the new pilot program called “RanchRide” will offer a host of convenient transportation or “mobility” services exclusively to residents of the 4,000-acre Ladera Ranch community and the 6,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo community, both in South Orange County, CA.

M.Eng. ’14 Capstone Team (Rahul Mehendiratta, Saddiq Nuru, Gregory Quan, Aadityeshwar Singh Deo, Weishi Wu) centered their project around the new program. Their work can be seen in the above image of their poster “New Mobility Solutions.”

“It was really great having the Capstone team working with us on our Residential Mobility project. Their research and concept creation played into the development of what is called RanchRide today.”
-Rasheq Zarif
Senior Manager, Business Innovation
Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc.

A total of four different RanchRide mobility services will be included in the new pilot program, provided on luxury-style, 14-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter passenger shuttles. Passengers simply register on www.RanchRide.net to receive their RanchRide cards and either access the shuttles at key locations or they can pre-select their destinations on the RanchRide website and reserve their space on the Mercedes-Benz RanchRide shuttles of their choice.

Every RanchRide shuttle will feature free on-board Wi-Fi so RanchRiders can spend their drive time on their laptops, emailing, enjoying their morning coffees and breakfasts, or simply doing nothing at all.  Plus, the RanchRide website (www.RanchRide.net) includes a special shuttle tracker map to help pinpoint shuttle arrivals and view current shuttle locations on computers and any mobile device.