The Lightweight Urban Vehicle (LUV) mechanical engineering senior design project is a project of Bradley University with sponsorship from Jesse Maberry. Mr. Maberry, a Bradley alumnus and one of the founders of Aurora Bearing Company, has provided funding for the Lightweight Urban Vehicle for the past four years and serves as the client of the project, in addition to potential future customers of the vehicle. The original concept was the result of a collaboration between Mr. Maberry and Bradley professor Dr. Martin Morris, acting as the project advisor and client liaison.
The project consists of a duration of 2 semesters with 8 undergraduate students split into 2 teams, Energy Management, as well as Frame and Suspension. In order to aid in the design process and properly guide the team members to meet project deadlines, the entire process is split into 4 gateways, each separated by a corresponding gateway review. They are broken down below: