Parking Solved: MIT’s Stackable City Car
As great as the Smart fortwo may be for maximizing the space available, parking in large cities will continue to be at a premium. Enter the City Car, imagined by students in the Smart Cities project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Like many dream commuter cars, the City Car is an all-electric two-seater, but when it comes time to park, it can be stacked.
(Click through for more on the small stacker)
The car's rear axle - and possibly its powertrain - are located on a subframe which protrudes from the cabin. This entire frame is hinged at the body, allowing it to fold underneath the car, shrinking the wheelbase. Other City Cars can then be parked beneath it, essentially allowing a series of these vehicles to be "stacked" for parking.
Of course, that implies the car would best be used for on a rental-share basis - which, conveniently, is exactly what the folks at MIT envision it as being. We think it could hold some promise for the most congested city, or simply locales where people could get away with using cars for short in-city trips, but have to wonder how well the supposed 360-degree steering works outside of the parking garage.
Comments
Needer of MPGs
I'm the third car...how do I leave?
dante
Rental/share basis. You take the one at the end.
MJK
Why not put some effort into public transportation. We have such a crazy attachment to driving ourselves around in something, like that is the only thing that gives us our independence. Driving something on a twisty road and enjoying it is one thing, but what is the fun of sitting in traffic in an overly crowded town. Instead of making cars that stack up and still put an energy drain on our infastructure (electricity needs to some from somewhere), why not add more green space instead of parking spaces and make people walk a block or two (god forbid in this country)to a station. Just a thought.
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