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Kobot personal EV concept collapses, lets Cat Woman park anywhere she wants (video)
We've seen our fair share of folding cars, but here's where those concepts and the Kobot EVs differ -- these might actually come to market. These personal transportation vehicles are already far enough along to be rolling about the floor of the Tokyo Motor Show and Kowa Tmsuk (the joint venture between medical supply company Kowa and robot manufacturer Tmsuk) plan to have the first model out by fall of next year. There were three varieties on display at the show: the sporty, red Kobot ν (nyu) being ridden by Cat Woman in the photo above; the green Kobot β (beta), which collapses to just a 30-inch footprint (a tad under one foot); and the two person Kobot π. The electric "cars" shrink with the tap of a button on a smartphone, only have a top speed of 30 km/h (about 19MPH) and are intended for short urban jaunts where parking is at a premium. Check out the source for a bunch more photos and head after the break for a clip of the personal propulsion pods in action.
MIT's folding CityCar takes a spin on video, still no room for humans
The MIT Media Lab has been working on a folding, stackable electric vehicle for quite a few years now, but it seems those have at least been fairly productive years, as the so-called CityCar has now finally progressed to something resembling a finished prototype. The only problem for those eager to hop into one is that it's a half-sized prototype, which makes accommodating a driver just a tad difficult. It does do a fairly good job of folding itself up though, and MIT expects a full-size version to go into production in 2013. Interestingly, MIT doesn't necessarily see people actually owning the vehicles themselves, but it would like to see them be made available throughout cities -- letting you rent one for a short trip across town, for instance, and not have to worry about returning it. Head on past the break to see it on video courtesy of The Next Web.
Nagoya Institute's folding X-Frame car lacks S-foils, hyperdrive, rolls on a big orange ball
Welcome to the future, dear readers, where boring black tires are replaced with bright orange and yellow ones and where your car can dynamically expand or contract. This is the X-Frame Folding Vehicle, a concept from the Nagoya Institute of Technology that was first shown at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, but rolled out of hiding again for the city's recent Good Design Expo. The car changes shape to offer seating for either one or two and can raise or lower itself dynamically based on terrain, speed, and proximity of Clown Gang members when you're cruising in Neo-Tokyo. No word on when or if it will see production, but don't let a complete lack of crash-worthiness get you down on this vision of tomorrow.
