► Rinspeed Snap concept
► Pod + chassis = ultimate flexibility
► At CES 2018
Rinspeed is at it again! The crazy Swiss automotive ‘powerhouse of ideas’ has revealed an all-new concept car-like thing ahead of the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Rinspeed’s new concept is called the Snap, which smashes together all sorts of futuristic automotive technologies like autonomy, connectivity and ultimate flexibility. It’s the 24th concept built by the Swiss firm and follows on from other oddities that include the drone-equipped Etos and the Oasis – a self-driving pod complete with its own garden inside.
The Snap comprises a chassis (nicknamed the ‘skateboard’) and a pod that sits on top and can lift out. Rinspeed says that the chassis has an integrated electric powertrain and four-wheel steering which allows the Snap to ‘turn practically on a dime.’ The Borbet wheels and tyres are tuned to minimise rolling resistance.
The skateboard has also been built in such a way to allow for the electronics and componentry within to be easily modified or replaced, allowing the longer-lasting outer shell to remain in service. It’s also highly recyclable.
The particularly clever bit, though, is the range of different pods that are available to slot on top of the skateboard chassis. Pods conceptualised by Rinspeed include a comfy space for passengers, a delivery version presumably chock full of storage spaces for logistics companies and even mobile shops and stalls.
There are screens on the outside to allow for external messages to be displayed, and owners can easily check the battery charge from the displays attached to the rear of the skateboard chassis.
Snap is packed to the brim with clever tech. The front and rear glass panels are dimmable (as seen on the Boeing Dreamliner), there are Lidar sensors, 5G, Car-to-X communications for linking with infrastructure, WiFi and Bluetooth. TomTom provides HD mapping software that allows for the autonomous driving systems to function properly.
We’ll have more info on the new Rinspeed Snap when it makes its public debut at the 2018 CES show.
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