The City Car, by MIT
This adorable, itsy-bitsy City Car was designed by the MIT Media Lab and is coming to the streets of Boston near you, very soon! The shared vehicle boasts a few great environmental and technological (and convenience) advancements: an electric motor; no tailpipe emissions; it's almost silent; omnidirectional robotic wheels (think O-turn instead of U-turn); foldable and stackable design; compact frame, about 8' long, and under 5' folded. I feel both excited and somewhat concerned about this little guy, and here's why:
The pros:
- Ultra-compact yet *roomier* - same front cabin space as a BMW 3 Series
- Space saver - folds up like a baby carriage and stacks like a shopping cart
- Makes parallel parking a cinch - the wheels rotate 360 degrees!
- Energy Efficient and almost silent - leverages "green" technologies like solar panels & energy cells
- Equipped with GPS navigation and helpful traffic advice delivered from the Central System
- Software that changes the color of the cabin, sets your preferences & the dashboard look & feel
- Designed in Boston (well, Cambridge!)
- Super cute!!
The potential cons/concerns
- How safe is this thing? Looks like it could be a total death trap amongst Boston's inadequate driving population!
- It's almost silent, which adds to the bullet above; they'll never see or hear you!
- How many City Car rechargeable stacking stations will there be peppered throughout the city? I am always in a rush and convenience is key.
- Will people use it and embrace it or will they opt for famliar taxi, train, foot, or their own car over the City Car?
- How much does a spin cost?
Apparently GM is a believer, and is funding part of the $6 billion/yr R&D budget on MIT projects such as this. I am excited and eager to see the launch of the City Car in Boston, but as you can see, I have some reservations.
What do you think? Feel free to leave your comment here!
Yeah, they reference how it's tied-into the "Central System" to help the driver navigate, so my guess is that the CS runs a tight ship and has technology in place so they know exactly where the cars are at all times. Who knows, maybe Big Brother disables the car outside city limits :).
Posted by: Kate | March 18, 2008 at 02:58 PM
I am worried most about the potential it could be stolen easily. I hope LoJack or some disabling device/alarm is an option!
Posted by: Ron | March 18, 2008 at 02:48 PM
It's so cute I want to put it in a big status stroller and push it around the south end!
Posted by: mark snyder | March 17, 2008 at 03:07 PM
Totally, I thought that too! According to this article in the Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/cars/news/articles/2007/02/18/the_car_20/) "This car should have a lot of computational power. It should know where the potholes are." How is it going to do that? If anything its piqued my curiosity! Let me know if you give one a whirl...
Posted by: Kate | March 11, 2008 at 04:59 PM
I checked this out at the MIT Museum not too long ago and had similar concerns.
Also, even if there are enough stations, will there be enough vehicles where you need them when you need them?
And, Boston/Cambridge is pothole central - how will this little car handle that?
I like the idea, but like you, I have my reservations!!
Posted by: shopaphilia | March 11, 2008 at 04:54 PM