There once was a time when electric, hybrid and hydrogen cars seemed futuristic and even far-fetched, but now they are a reality. So perhaps we shouldn’t mock ten of the latest green car concepts presented by the students at the Royal College of Arts (RCA).
Their efforts are certainly intriguing - and as the RCA has been teaching vehicle design since 1967 and has many big name designers among its alumni we should certainly pay attention. So let’s take a look at the top ten:
- The Airflow - With wheel-mounted electric motors and a body made entirely of glass it looks like the Batmobile and won the Best Design Interpretation Award at the Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design Awards.
- My Lounge - Taking an Ikea approach to design, it allows drivers to pick everything that goes into it.
- Chameleon - With styling cues taken from shirt collars, the Chameleon is asymmetrical and can change colours so it always matches your outfit.
- Soft vehicle - Made of foam because ‘softer is safer’ - it includes a boot that opens with a zipper, you climb in through a ‘sensual slit’ and sit in a seat surrounded by impact absorbing ‘jelly balls’. Hmm, moving on…
- Phoenix - Developed for maximum efficiency, there’s a turbine at the front and electric motors at the back and it looks like a motorcycle with a side car.
- Transform - This Transformers inspired vehicle includes an elastic top that can be stretched to any shape to suit a driver’s needs.
- Enigma - An electric car ideally powered by the sun that features a passenger compartment that uses magnetic levitation to isolate it from the rest of the car.
- Iomega - Inspired by the shape of a swan it includes drivers and passengers sitting in separate compartments.
- Lexus Nuaero - Not to be confused with Toyota’s luxury division Lexus, this gas-electric hybrid includes glass and other materials to create a layered effect.
- Senses - Remarkably none of the technology used in this design exists yet but it does run on algae and includes an exterior made of ‘solid hologram technology’.
Perhaps we shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for these designs to come to life - but still, there’s no harm in dreaming.
