Rinspeed looks to be giving themselves plenty of leeway time to get their next concept up and ready. The next major auto show is the Detroit Auto Show in January 2012, but the company has decided to skip that one and prepare their new Dock+Go for the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.
The Dock+Go is based on the ides of docking "backpacks on wheels." The concept uses a single-axle pack that can serve a variety of purposes depending on the requirements of the day, but can also be left at home if it is not truly needed. The best part is that it can be attached to any electric city car.
The specific vehicle being sent to Geneva will be for demonstration purposes only and will use an electric Smart Fortwo as its base. With the addition of a wide variety of "packs," the car was transformed into a pizza delivery car; it even uses an integrated heated box. That being said, the pack can be used for any occasion including camping, golfing, skiing, going to the beach, or as a party pack.
The Dock+Go will be equipped with an "energy pack" with a combustion engine or range extender, packed with batteries or powered by a fuel cell that provides the decisive added range to reach farther destinations. This allows the concept to have a range of more than 120 km, but Rinspeed hasn’t revealed the official numbers just yet.
The 2011 Geneva Motor Show is still four whole months away, but the dreamers over at Rinspeed are already preparing their newest concept set to be revealed in Switzerland. Looking like a cross between a Scion xB and a Jeep Wrangler, loosely speaking, the Rinspeed BamBoo appears to be the perfect beach-going vehicle.
Since the vehicle is called BamBoo, it’s easy to guess that the material will be found somewhere in the workings of the car. Rinspeed states that bamboo fibers are a part of major components of the interior, but we’ll probably have to wait for Geneva to get more information. In fact, we’ll have to wait until the Geneva Motor Show in March to find out a lot about this open-top vehicle. The only other information we could pull from the press release is that, if produced, this vehicle will more than likely be electric for that little bit of modernization needed for this retro design.
The Rinspeed BamBoo - described by Rinspeed as a "grown-up golf cart" - isn’t really our type of car which is made apparently clear with the statement made at the end of the press release...
"Anyone not blinded by horsepower orgies, chrome tinsel, and top-speed frenzy should take a closer look." If that statement didn’t describe us to a Tee then we would think this car was pretty cool.
Press release after the jump.
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The Swiss custom car builders at Rinspeed don’t disappoint when it comes to their award winning show cars, and after announcing details about the UC? concept that is set to debut in March at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, we are certain that they will deliver. The UC is a new electric concept car created specially for urban commuters with the clever nickname, "You see?" Measuring just over 8 feet in length the UC’s electric motor produces 98 lb-ft of torque and is operated with a central joystick. The concept can hit a top speed of 68 MPH and has a 75 mile range on a single charge.
Rinspeed’s goal was to create a new mobility concept that integrates individual car ownership and public transportation by designing a logistics system that allows the Uban Commuter to traverse longer distances. Thanks to a transverse loading system using custom railcars that allows loading and unloading of numerous “UC?” vehicles simultaneously and in a very short time for increased efficiency. Train passages are booked and reserved online directly from inside the vehicle. Harman International provides the permanent 3G internet connection as well as a marvelous sound system. While VoIP2Car technology keeps the occupants connected to the outside world by providing IP telephone service, video chat, video conferences, e-mail and many more features in the “UC?”.
According to Rinspeed, the UC has a pretty good chance of going into production.
Press release after the jump.
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Rinspeed can’t bring two outrageous cars to the Geneva Motor Show, it’s already tough enough to take the iChange seriously. So next to the car with the morphing body, Rinspeed will pace a Fiat 500 painted in copper. Oh yeah, and this one will have a pretty cool engine, too.
It’s called the E2, which is named for two different power levels. THe first level is called “Commuting” and the engine puts out 60 hp (9 hp less than the smallest standard Fiat 500), gets about 59 miles per gallon. The second model is called “Highway”, and then the same engine produces 160 hp (25 more hp than the 500 Abarth)
The technical details of the engine were not disclosed. We’re just hoping a company like Rinspeed is more innovative than just using technology that we’ve had for years, like cylinder deactivation.
Press release after the jump.
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The staff at Rinspeed must just sit around all day and think about ways to be different. What else can explain a bunch of people who look at a Lotus Elise and say, "That looks like the perfect submarine!" But the SQuba was at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, so how is Rinspeed going to top that this year? How about an electric car that changes its shape for the number of passengers.
The car starts out as a single seater for best aerodynamics, and will expand to carry two more passengers when needed. Rinspeed has built the set up so that the rear end containing the extra seats will "pop up" and only create the extra drag when necessary. The iChange also has no doors. The entire electrically powered roof section tilts forward to allow passengers to board. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds because the car only measures 1.03 meters (3.4 feet) in height. Another “different” feature is that the car does not have a key. Instead the car an Apple iPhone will is used for access as well as many other important vehicle functions.
The iChange is powered by an electric motor those energy comes from lithium-ion batteries that are available in two different stack configurations for short and long-distance driving. The electric motor produces 201 hp, capable of propelling the car to a top speed of 136 mph and a 0 to 60 mph sprint in four seconds. This kind of performance can be achieved because Rinspeed is using the six-speed transmission out of an established performer, the Subaru WRX.
Press release after the jump
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