TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Ross Lovegrove’s Car on a Stick
by Jorge Chapa
Imagine an urban future where no cars are ever parked blocking the curb, but instead are ‘parked’ by being perched atop large pole where they would act as streetlamps at night. Is this a brilliant idea, or what? We’re big fans of designer Ross Lovegrove, and were blown away when we discovered his new project, Car on a Stick. It isn’t just the solar power roof or the smart design that got our attention, but rather the sheer imagination of using parked vehicles to provide illumination to the city at night.
Lovegrove’s idea calls for a four passenger vehicle, which is basically a large transparent bubble in which the four passengers sit in a circular fashion. There is no driver, as the vehicles are controlled by satellite and GPS navigation. As for fuel, the vehicles are powered by solar panels installed in the roof, and one presumes, four independent electric motors, one on each wheel. The brilliant part, or the one which definitely caught our eye (as if the sci-fi inspired bubble cars weren’t enough) was his proposal to stick each vehicle at night on top of a pole in order to both save space at the ground level, and to illuminate it!
Ross Lovegrove always brings an interesting and fresh outlook to his projects, and his “car on a stick” is no exception. As always, it isn’t just the brilliant design that we admire, it is the combination of imagination and sensibility that always attracts us to his projects.
+ Ross Lovegrove: His Vision @ CNN
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Neet idea. However, cars are an important part of American dating culture, not sure how well the fishbowl-styled cars fit this picture. Tinted window versions maybe?