Fair warning, we love Rinpseed! Its quirky and brilliant concepts and outside the box thinking always make for thought-provoking discussions. And this latest wacky take on a detachable electric vehicle (EV) pod is pure Rinspeed creativity at work again. Perhaps the future is here after all.
It must be fun being in the think-room of the Swiss powerhouse of ideas Rinspeed offices. We wonder if the typical day starts off with: “Wonder what kind of wild thing we could do to make EVs even more fun?” Underwater Lotus? Yeah, already did that with the Aqua. How about giving the SmartED a larger battery and have it trailing it? Nah, already did with the Dock+Go. We could make a car that hydrofoils over water? Nah, already did it with the Splash. How about we do something with these self-driving cars and have the interior environment detach? Hum, that sounds like fun. Let’s do it!
Even if that’s not how it works at Rinspeed, whatever they come up with never leaves anyone feeling blah. And the latest Snap is no stranger to the tradition.
Rinspeed Snap Opens Up Endless Possibilities
Self-driving cars are the future, but should they be boring pods? After all, aren’t they filled with electronics to help solve the transportation problems urban areas face? One thing autonomous vehicle mobility promises is a transportable ecosystem perfect for the lifestyles of millennials. Let’s do something that answers modern day pressing needs… And “Snap,” it is done!
According to Frank M. Rinderknecht, Rinspeed head honcho, making hardware and software soon to be outdated and forcing drivers into a never-ending cycle of forced upgrades is so last century. Hear that, mainstream carmakers? In order to deliver on the promise of expanding our always-on connected life, Rinderknecht suggests putting our mobility solutions on another mobile platform. Let’s put the Snap on a high-wear chassis “skateboard.”
Technically, the Snap “pod” would separate from the autonomous vehicle volume cell. The cell would park somewhere and could be used as a stationary energy solution. This also means the pod could be anything from a variable shopping pod to a camping one or a lovers’ lane to… well, hang out. At the very least, they would make for breathtaking views of scenic routes. The potential applications are almost endless.
If the concept seems a little out there, this video might help unlock the potential.
Are Cars Becoming Modern At Last?
Futuristic cars are nothing new, but the future hasn’t really caught on in the past 100 years. We’ve seen plenty of futuristic vehicles with aerodynamic shapes and those that completely rethink the way we live inside them. But so far, we sit in the same two-plus-two old boring design with more or less different visual cues. It’s boring, to say the least.
Rinspeed has always been a never-ending well of great ideas that at the very least opens the discussion to what else should be doing with cars by now.
In any case, we should be able to see up closer at the 2018 CES. Stay tuned for more.
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