MIT's Stackable, Foldable "City Car"
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.18.07
Science & Technology (prototypes)
Researchers at MIT are building a prototype of a lightweight electric vehicle that can be cheaply mass-produced, rented by commuters under a shared-use business model, and folded and stacked like grocery carts at subway stations or other central sites. It's called the City Car, and the key to the concept lies in the design of its wheels. The MIT team has transformed the lowly wheel into a robotic drive system that will power the City Car. Embedded in each of its four wheels will be an electric motor, steering and braking mechanisms, suspension, and digital controls, all integrated into sealed units that can be snapped on and off. :: Via Boston.Com
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC: The City Car
Cool, an implementation of the Station Car concept ... namely, at mass transit centers there would be a stall holding cars that can be rented for short jaunts from the station. The idea would be someone could take a train to some area, rent a short range "station car" on an ad-hoc basis, and return it, get back on the train and go home. The station car company would be in charge of maintaining the EV's.
This takes the range disadvantage of EV's to its greatest advantage.
- David Heron, http://davidherron.com/
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki