I don’t know if it is the child in me but the idea of riding in a tram always excites me. Designer Simon Colabufalo has given me even more reason for excitement with his concept Metrotopia – futuristic and compact trams. The Metrotopia is the designer’s vision for the future public transport of Melbourne which boasts of the largest tram network in the world. Simon’s Metrotopia comprises of small 2 seat vehicles that drive on a single rubber ball instead of the large buses of trams. The small vehicles are powered by an electric powertrain which is located in the rotating ball. The small compact cars dock inside the large trams for recharging. The wheel is still rotating while recharging, allowing users to take main routes with others and break away to get to their final destination.

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We certainly are anxiously awaiting the future, and grow impatient every time we come across vehicles like these, that will hog the streets in a few years from now, probably. Take the Electric Rickshaw for example, an entry at the Peugeot Concours Design in 2006. This one uses the concept of gyroscopes and travels on a set of just two-wheels instead of the usual three rickshaws around the globe use instead today. The wheels are each attached to an asymmetrical axle permits them to change their relative centers enabling it to have different configurations. To enter, one must use the front of the vehicle. The Rickshaw also has individually powered wheels, allowing it to rotate on the spot making parking a lot easier. This one can seat two.

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It’s been quite some time since a concept car has caught my attention. So when I heard about the Kia Electric Pop concept vehicle, I was quite excited. Definitely not disappointing, the Kia Electric Pop managed to win my attention in just one glance. All set to be unveiled at the Paris Auto Show in October, this concept car from Kia is definitely one sleek compact creation. A three-seater beauty on wheels, it measures just 118 meters long (12 inches shorter than the Smart Fortwo). The vehicle features bench seats in the front along and a single seat in the back. Sure to be usurped by the urban community, this electric vehicle will maneuver beautifully through the city traffic and even fit beautifully in narrow parking spaces.

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Designer Sergio Alonso is sure to win the hearts of many a women bus travelers with his concept Bus Toilet design. The toilet was designed after studying female postures. The sleek and clean toilet design with a sliding door feature should be incorporated in all public transport buses. Although a unisex toilet, it gives a lot of importance to the needs and comfort of its female users. Since no information is provided about the material used, or any other features, we have no choice but to admire the images and guess the features.

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This one sure reminds us of a rainbow in the sky. No pot of gold at its base though, you’ll probably just find tires at either end. And the whole concept of having 7 colors is dropped aside too with this one, probably because it hardly is an illusion created by rain and sunlight. It’s more of a two-wheeler, an electric-hybrid bike to be précised, named the PiCycle. The bike has a unique shape, great to make heads turn and jaws drop in wonder. It’s clean too and doesn’t cough up a cloud of smoke and carbon at all. With speeds of up to 20mph, which might kind of seem slow, this bike has a range of 20 miles. The glossy red body frame of the bike is shaped unlike any other. We’ve never come across a bike like the PiCycle with a frame shaped like a rainbow. Skeptics might frown upon the fact that it somewhat looks breakable, but then again, the designers have thought that thru!

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This one sure left us confused as to what it should be referred to as without hurting too many sentiments, a car or a bike? Well, we chose the diplomatic path and will call it a “vehicle” or by its name, the Revolute. Designed for the Conceptual Exterior category at the INTERIOR MOTIVESDESIGN AWARDS, 2007-08, and is for personal transport. You probably wouldn’t bother packing up your bags and trying to pile in your kids into this one, it’s meant just for you! The best part of the Revolute is its unique shape-shifting abilities, making it adapt to the path it needs to follow. It greets you with personalized messages that flash across the cockpit that houses a swivel seat, an on-board computer and the controls. The doors roll out, making it easier for you to get in and out. To power up, the Revolute uses fuel cells and battery packs tucked snuggly into its base.

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Charging up your EV won’t probably be as difficult as looking for polar bears in a desert in future. With developments being made on EV chargers everywhere, this task of juicing up your eco-friendly friend on wheels will be a lot easier. One such development is the Blink by FrogDesign. The charging station is designed for both, commercial as well as residential use. The Blink has no moving parts whatsoever, no nuts and screws that could fall off every now and then, meaning that it needs lesser maintenance and will continue serving your car some electric juice for as long as it can. Also, this one’s compact and can fit into that little clearing of space you have in your little overcrowded garage.

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We know Walley for the luxury yachts the brand builds. These sleek super luxury vessels now have a counter part on land that follows the special designs the company uses for its sea farers. Designed by automotive design graduate Matthew Hockham from Coventry University, the Walley Concept Car uses the company’s styling and applies the same to a set of four wheels instead of a hull. This will enable Walley’s designs to cruise around on land too, besides water. Using sharp edges and black glass surfaces with hi-tech grey tones, everything we see on Walley creations off land, the car’s side is built based on the Wally Power 118 yacht.

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A safety raft/ life boat is a must when you head out on voyage out into the deep blue seas. God forbid if you are the victim of a ship wreck, you need to be prepared to survive on this life saving raft till you are rescued. The best way to ensure your survival is by drinking a lot of water. But once you run out of drinking water, it is indeed a great task to survive. That is why we suggest instead of an ordinary life boat you invest in the SeaKettle. An almost luxurious creation, it has the ability to desalinate the salt water. The luxury boat is designed by designer Kim Hoffman and is an entry in the James Dyson Award design competition. The SeaKettle boasts of a mechanism that pumps seawater into a reservoir covered with Goretex, allowing it to desalinate through evaporation and then trickle into four pockets of drinkable water surrounding the raft.

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Recumbent vehicles seem to be the “in” things when it comes to designing today, with more and more recumbent bikes popping up everywhere. Well, here’s yet another one, this one with three wheels making it roll. Known as the Velorian, the recumbent is so designed, to save up on space making transportation and the inevitable and irritating phenomena of having to park in crammed corners, a whole lot easier. All thank to the fact that this one can be folded up and stored, measuring just 1210 x 530 x 755 mm on folding. A bag is included to make the packed up bike easily portable. To maneuver, the front as well as the back wheels can be steered. With a 10 degree for the back wheels to increase stability, this one also boasts a split handlebar and track rods.

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To beat the horrible city traffic and reach your destination on time, you not only need a compact vehicle but a fast one as well. So an electric bike is your solution. It is not only eco friendly but its size allows you to maneuver easily through the traffic. So we suggest it’s time to trade your ride for an electric bike. And not just any electric bike, we suggest you buy the “Blacktrail” which is currently touted to be the fastest electric bike in the world. Created by German bicycle manufacturer PG Bikes it is truly a class apart. Powered by an electric engine backed by a CM 48V lithium-ion battery pack, this zero-emission bike can reach speeds of 100kph for about 200km on a single charge of 150 minutes. Now that is indeed fast for an electric bike. This lightweight bike is made from materials including carbon, magnesium and titanium. A pricey creation this, it boasts of a $77,000 price tag.

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Tricycle riding days are here again. Well, not exactly a tricycle, this one’s a bicycle, with a pedal upfront, just like the little three-wheeled companions we had in our toddler days. Designed by Brooklyn based Nick Foley, this semi-recumbent bike called the Etta has the rider pedaling in front of themselves and an upright seat. Unlike other recumbent bikes, Etta riders are placed a lot higher, in level with cyclists and motorists. The bike’s front and back lighting are powered by pedaling, while the bike sports a cargo compartment for baggage or groceries.

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Hoping that the British railway speeds up its services, designers Priestmangoode brought out the scales, pencils and blueprint; designing the Mercury high-speed train. The train is just as marvelous as it looks. What could go faster than a train shaped just like a bullet? Measuring 400 metre-long, this double-decker train can travel at 225 mph, with a nose even Pinocchio would envy. It uses the largest nose ever seen on a train before. The Mercury design was created in a London studio in order to persuade the British government to advance the project. The exteriors look great, though a look at the interiors simply took our breath away. The Mercury will play host to commuter seats and private berths, a children’s play area, and lounge and bar.

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If you love the whacky, weird and seriously awesome things in life, you sure will just love this one. 21-year-old Kevin Scott had a brainwave of twisting a cycle around a pole. You probably lock your bicycle to poles at times, to keep it from being stolen. Why not just wrap around your bicycle around a pole and keep it in place while you go about on foot doing your chores! A graduate from the De Montfort, Kevin’s creation uses a ratchet system built into the bicycle’s frame. This allows it to twist around the pole, enabling you to lock both the wheels together.

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While many designers are visualizing concept cars for the far off future, Gordon Murray is in the process of turning his concept car into a reality in the near future (within the next two years to be precise). Christened the T.25 car (named because it is Murray’s 25th design), this compact car is expected to average between 60-70 miles per gallon. Made for the urban traffic, the compact size of the car will allow two T.25s to able to travel in a standard UK motorway lane, and three T.25s to fit in a standard UK parallel parking space. A fuel efficient car, Murray has designed not one but fourteen variants of the body including two-seater and four-seater models. Designed to run on petrol, Murray has designed the car in such a way that it can integrate any alternate power source in the future. What is more, factories too will benefit from the production of this car that features lower parts count, faster assembly, and modular design. The car can be manufactured from recycled materials, and its components can be re-used in future models as well.

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