First impression at Toyota Hi-CT car might not make you say “wow”, well we agree that the design is somehow not as stylish as we expect it. On the other hand, Toyota’s team of you Japanese and European designers claimed that Hi-CT is a reflection of what a cool and great vehicle should look like, they want to create something that make people stop and take a good look.
The Hi-CT is a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5L motor and uses lithium-ion batteries, which are located underneath the floor of the vehicle in order to maximize the interior space of the car. While it looks quite boxy and big, it is in fact quite small. The entire vehicle is 3.3 meters long, 1.6 meters wide and 1.7 meters high. It is, effectively, a cube on wheels. Due to the tiny size, it can only carry two persons. However, being a “lifestyle” car, there’s enough space inside it for everything that an active user or two could need. The rear trunk can be modified so that surfboards, bicycles and camping equipment can be carried around for those days where you need to get out to nature.
Looking at inside of the car, we might hear you say “wow” because of its futuristic design, the exterior now doesn’t seem to matter anymore.
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This gravity car is designed by Mark Clarke (Senior Designer at Porsche Design) and 3dyn brought the car into reality. 3dyn took their surface data to create high density foam master models, high temperature fiberglass molds, and finally pre-preg carbon fiber body shells. The cars are fully functional, with high-performance downhill mountain bike disc brake systems, rack and pinon steering (with carbon fiber, F1 style steering) and 4-point safety harness. Short of the purchased bicycle components and formed clear canopies, 3dyn created all components in house, the majority being either carbon fiber or aircraft aluminum.
Too bad they won’t make any gravity car for 2008, as it’s stated on their website :
“3dyn will not participate for 2008, as new commitments have precluded us from being able to build another 10+ cars this year. However we may still assist in the design process, if needed. 2008 should be “electrifying” for Zero E Racing.”
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Story behind this suitcase bike from the designer Gosha Galitsky : Being a big bicycle enthusiast, it always bothered me to see how little cooperation exists between public transport and bicycles. It seems to be a perfect solution for commuting- an alliance between safe intercity transport (such as trains, buses and airplanes) and short-range non polluting bicycles which can zip you through the congested city like a breeze and park in your room or your cubicle at work.However, I only saw this harmony take place in some places in Europe (Italy is especially biker- friendly) and in some areas of the US, mostly on the west coast. All this in spite of rising awareness for environmental issues, growing congestion within city limits and an immense growth in the popularity of cycling for commuting as well as for sport. So I tried to find what was preventing this alliance from happening. After a certain observation and research, I discovered some interesting things. Read the rest of this entry »
