Folding Car Can Be Stacked, Stored, and Recharged
The City Car, half the size of a normal compact car, is more than just a small, electric two-seater, though. Foldable to roughly half its size, the car is designed to be stacked, stored and recharged at central locations throughout a city. Franco Vairani, the car's designer, says, "you would just go and swipe your card and take the first one available and drive away." Researchers see the City Car as part of a shared transit system within urban areas -- it isn't a replacement for full-size cars or public transportation.
As reported by Engadget a couple months ago, MIT is working with GM to build a prototype, and researchers hope to begin manufacturing the City Car within three to four years. We're all for cutting emissions and traffic, but we're also anxious to see if the golf-cart sized City Car fares well in crash tests!
From Engadget and The Boston Globe
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