Rinspeed's iChange EV is an iPhone-integrated shape shifter

While not nearly as outrageous as its sQuba submarine car, Rinspeed's shape-shifting iChange all-electric concept car, debuting at this year's Geneva Motor Show, has more than its fair share of eccentricities. As the name not so gracefully suggests, it sports iPhone integration that lets you dock the mobile and control the headlights and turn signals, among other functions -- no steering capabilities, unfortunately. The phone can also adjust the height of the bubble roof to make room for two passengers in the back. Left to its own devices, the bubble adjusts dynamically to maximize fuel efficiency. As for the specs, it's got a 150 kilowatt motor, top speed of about 137MPH, solar panel roofing to power the A/C, a Harman/Kardon infotainment system with GPS navigation, goes 0 to 62MPH in under four seconds, and is all powered by lithium ion batteries available in two different stack configurations optimized for short and long trips, respectively. See it for yourself in the video after the break -- soundtrack not included, so be sure to add your own techno beats.

Gallery: Rinspeed's iChange EV is an iPhone-integrated shape shifter

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[Via The College Driver]

[LilBear @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:19PM]

nice @。@
how much it's gonna be?

[ImaYam @ Feb 23rd 2009 7:54PM]

ehh..

Looks like a dead fish comin'atcha!

[RandyFD @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:20PM]

I think some form of car integration with your cell phone should be a standard thing a few years down the line, iPhone or not. Convenience is the name of the game if they want to get new cars to start selling.

[MadMike @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:25PM]

An electric car that *doesn't* look like an aborted half-human, half-insect fetus? Now, we are talking.

But, no leather?

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:29PM]

this shapeshifting car is even colored like a goddamned changeling in its natural state. c'mon, solids! let's get them now before they start an interstellar war! (and, um, in "getting them," give them just cause for said interstellar war...)

[FOREX @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:29PM]

"it sports iPhone integration that lets you dock the mobile and control non-driving functions such as headlights and turn signals" - Because using your iphone to signal for turns is way safe...

1/2 gold + 1/2 donkey dung = this idea

[RemDX @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:31PM]

I agree.
"So you have to get locked into an expensive contract before you buy our already expensive car.."
What part of this is cool? And you still can't copy and paste!

[gdxk @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:22PM]

but will it play NFS.. wait, that'd be sort of redundant

[Brad @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:58PM]

I like the idea that headlights are non-driving functions.

What happens when you are leaving a mansion party after some supermodel pushes you into the swimming pool and soaks your iPhone? Do you not get headlights on the drive home? Or turn signals?

[Denver_80203 @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:36PM]

Ridiculous hatch top. Love to open that in the rain or even better, after an accident.

[Abhishek @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:38PM]

I'll pass.

I can't rely the car on being controlled by a phone, even if it is "non-driving functions". I need the control of the entire car at my hands, not on a phone sitting on a dashboard.
I ain't feelin' this idea! No sirree!

[Chrisboff @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:38PM]

Ok, I'm a little worried about the whole 'left to its own devices' idea with the roof. What if someone is sitting in the back and you accidently switch it to auto whilst playing around on your iPhone. That would be painfull. :-(

[Chrisboff @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:42PM]

Guess it would be a good way for iPhone fanboys to bump off their enemies though...

[Suneh @ Feb 25th 2009 3:26PM]

Wait, is this an iPhone's accessory?

[Kwikit @ Feb 23rd 2009 8:13PM]

Ding! Ding! Ding! The first person to understand that the car is the accessory. Thank you for playing. ;)

[Brad @ Feb 23rd 2009 4:59PM]

How come the interior of this thing looks like a roller-coaster? Seriously, big sweeping polished fiberglass does not look "cool", it makes it look like a tram.

[bernardino @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:07PM]

It'd be cooler if the iPhone could control stereo functions like tuning, favorites, volume, etc. on a standard car. Chuck the faceplate, one less device I have to carry around with me.

[Alan Strangis @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:10PM]

Since when are turn signals and headlights 'non-driving' functions?

This reeks of FAIL (and a potentially deadly kind too).

[sweet tater @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:28PM]

It's no ASDV, but then again an ASDV isn't street legal either.....


http://fas.org/irp/program/collect/seal_sdv.htm

[Dan @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:48PM]

So if you're cool enough to own an iphone, you would be cool enough to own the car.

An iphone as a pre-req to buy the car seems like a bad idea. Though I found a bright side, less iphone users after the phone causes the car to crash.

[Van @ Feb 23rd 2009 5:51PM]

Wait a minute... is that driver in the middle of the car!? CRAZINESS!!

[Traderj @ Feb 23rd 2009 6:04PM]

To be honest I'd want one of these if it sounded like a car. I don't know about anyone else but I wouldn't want to drive around in a car that sounded like a dieing computer fan. That goes for any overpriced electric car. If this thing sounded like a ferrari everyone would be all over it.

[ern @ Feb 24th 2009 11:54PM]

Yet another waste of road space. Why gear a car to do a top speed like that. It would be better with about 30 hp. and would make sense. Speed should be well down the line of needs.

[Jason @ Feb 23rd 2009 11:10PM]

As a proof of concept it's pretty cool, I guess. Obviously it's gimmicky. My thought is that the iPhone -has- to be an optional thing. And the other thing is that the iPhone is going to get lost/stolen/obsolete way faster than a car. The car should last 20 years while the iPhone probably will be a way different device in about four (requiring reprogramming and updates to apps and stuff to run the car, not to mention Apple's lovely way of making cables slightly incompatible.)

This is a fail wrapped around a win. Awesome concept, anyway.

I can see the touchpad becoming built-in rather than a discrete component, though. This was more likely for lots of free advertising on gullible websites like Engadget.

[Clint @ Feb 24th 2009 4:59AM]

No worries. Rinspeed just just makes concept cars. This, like the sQuba, eXasis, zaZen and Splash will only have one version ever made. I am not sure what their business model is, but it seems to involve getting a lot of press for crazy car ideas and selling advertising on the press materials. At some point I guess they sell the concept car as well. I used to think the concept cars were created to promote their Porsche tuning business, but they sold off the tuning business so I am now lost.

[Jake Paul @ Feb 24th 2009 11:45AM]

Download "Steering Wheel" App?

*WARNING*

You're about to steer a car with an iPhone.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT

[Rob Hendricks @ Feb 27th 2009 8:35AM]

That's actually an iPod Touch in the image, NOT an iPhone. There's an absence of the slit for the speaker at the top! lol.