Two Concept cars: one from Tron and a fold up beauty
By Susan Wilson
As gas prices continue to climb, new concept cars for commuters appear everyday. Most are two person cars and with some form of electric-gas hybrid, plug in electric, or fuel cell motor. Seats are frequently placed behind each other rather than side by side and weight and size are kept small.
Two new concept cars, one from Italy and one from the U.S. embody most of these features but with a twist. Italian designer, Simone Cistulli, has created a car straight out of the science fiction movie Tron, called the Eco-Fun. Meanwhile, Daniel Bailey, a student at Montclair State University has created a foldable car called BRB Evolution.
Cistulli’s car concept is for a three wheel electric car with the two seats one behind the other. The front wheel is spherical and the two back wheels are large enclosed wheels not requiring an axle. Because the real wheels are hub-less, each large rear wheel includes a porthole adding a sci-fi dimension to the car.
The Eco-Fun has been designed to be an aerodynamic zero emission car. Since the vehicle has three wheels similar to the VW GX3 and the Aptera, it will probably be considered a motorcycle. As such, many of the safety standards required for four wheeled vehicles won’t be required of the Eco-Fun.
Bailey’s BRB Evolution, is built more like a racing car. The car is expected to have a hydrogen fuel cell or electric hybrid engine within its sleek aerodynamic body. Unlike Cistulli’s car, Bailey’s is a typical four wheel vehicle with a twist.
The BRB Evolution folds up when the passenger(s) disembark and slides sideways into a parking space taking up very little room. Two rollers underneath the car allow the car to roll up and turn it sideways to park. Because it would be considered a “car” for safety standard purposes, it would have to have all required safety features for the U.S. and European markets.
Unlike the Aptera or the VW GX3, neither of these vehicles has reached the prototype stage. Who knows if either vehicle will ever reach production but maybe a few of their more interesting features like the large rear wheels with portholes or the ability to fold up may actually make it onto a future car.
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