Swiss concept car specialist Rinspeed has unveiled its latest off-beat creation, the UC? electric vehicle, which will be displayed at the Geneva motor show in March 2010.
The UC?, which stands for both Urban Commuter and You See?, is another link in Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht’s chain of innovative and environmentally friendly concepts.
‘It’s a new and highly emotional web-based car that interweaves individual and public transport in an intelligent way,’ said Rinderknecht. ‘We want to create a community of people who are open for a new definition of mobility.’
So, what’s unique about the Rinspeed UC?
Plenty. Measuring just 2.5 metres in length, the Rinspeed UC? is geared toward inner city commuting, where its compact dimensions should do a better job of easing gridlocked roads than congestion taxing – sorry – charging.
More pioneering, though, is the fact that the UC? has been designed to integrate with public transport; a railcar loading system means that it can travel from city to city while emitting a Green Party-pleasing 0g/km of CO2. Far fetched, then, but then fresh thinking often liberates the best solutions.
Of course, not any old train is up to the task, so journeys between carports with integrated battery charging stations can be booked over the internet.
How fast is a Rinspeed UC? And how long will the juice last?
The Rinspeed UC? ditches the traditional steering wheel in favour of a joystick and, if you hold on for dear life, it’ll top out at 68mph. You could therefore shun the train and hit the motorway, though if you plan on driving for more than 75 miles be prepared for your UC? to conk out of juice.
Of course, the UC? is very much a concept at this stage. However, Rinspeed is adamant that the car has been designed with series production in mind and that discussions with potential manufacturers are underway.