The Sleek Shape-Shifting Scarab Vehicle
by Jorge Chapa, 12/02/08
Concept vehicles serve the useful purpose of showing us new ideas and charting a path towards the future of transportation. Similar to MIT’s Stackable Car concept, the streamlined Scarab is an ultra-compact electric concept vehicle that is able to transform from a flat shape for speed driving to an inclined state for space-conscious urban travel. Designed by David Miguel Moreira Gonçalves, the Scarab shows how a new type of vehicle could change the systems of transportation that we currently use.
The Scarab is designed to be powered by a main energy pack (i.e. battery), biofuels or fuel cells. The vehicle is packed to the gills with all sorts of radar and laser sensors to detect pedestrians and vehicles, and even features a wireless modem. This will allow the vehicle to detect upcoming traffic conditions miles down the road. The cars can be customized via its numerous components and is suited for private use, although ideally there would be a certain amount of mixed ownership, with both public and rental models available.
Via Yanko Design
These cars look amazing, and incredibly useful–imagine all the ways we could save the landscape by folding up cars instead of building more and more parking lots. However, how can we ever expect these vehicles to reach the market, when the electric car (which was running and test driven) was entirely axed for no reason? The innovation, it seems, has to come from abroad, as the U.S. car makers will never go for this.
I also saw a great mutlimedia story on the topic over at FLYP, with cars like these that actually have a real potential to enter the marketplace: http://www.flypmedia.com/issues/12/#4/1