The one thing that’s been missing from this year’s Tokyo Motor Show are the inevitable rolling living room concepts of years past. But Daihatsu has come to the rescue with its FC Case concept.

The rolling bread box might not look like much from the outside, but inside it’s packed with folding seats and a host of infotainment gadgets. Just as important is the FC’s method of propulsion, a variant of hydrogen called hydrazine hydrate or N2H4 H2O (yes, we had to look it up) that’s synthesized from nitrogen and hydrogen. Daihatsu says the fuel has a higher energy density and lower flammability, but more intriguing is the delivery. Hydrazine hydrate can supposedly be transported and inserted into the vehicle much like gasoline, which takes care of that pesky infrastructure situation. Couple that with some kind of autonomous driving system and it’s not hard to imagine a fleet of FCs running down the highway at speed, bumper-to-bumper, cleanly and quickly delivering employees to work in 2035… or something.

Daihatsu FC Case Concept is autonomous, high-tech transportation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.

No related posts.

BMW has teamed up with students of automotive design and fashion at the European Institute of Design in Barcelona to come up with some ideas on what the future of urban transportation may bring. And the results are… ahem, interesting.

And by interesting, what we really mean is strange.

Take, for instance, the Comme des Voitures, which features a pair of boots that feature soles clad with ball bearings and a helmet of sorts that beams relevant information to the “rider.” And then there’s the City-Skiing concept that is exactly what it sounds like, except that the skis are tall and short, and the corresponding suit looks like it was originally meant for a moon landing.

Slightly – and we do mean slightly – more rational is Flymag, which pairs a cape-like suit with a human-powered scooter that looks like a stroller. Combine the two and you’ve got a wee little automobile. We also have the Svala, again featuring a suit that controls a… wheeled thing that’s supposedly electric.

And then we get crazy again with the B-Motion, an insane hoverboard and backpack combo that makes absolutely zero sense to us. Anyway, do check them out in the image gallery below.

[Source: European Institute of Design in Barcelona via Engadget]

BMW envisions a future of wearable transportation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.