Coming up with an ingenious design that blends in the dexterity of a motorcycle and the stability of a car, designer David Gonçalves outshines the lot with the Scarab Vehicle. The aim of this project is to give us a holistic solution for a new system of urban transport, composed of vehicle and infrastructure, in a sustainable way and adaptable to various urban environments. Based on this premise, David developed the Scarab for his MSc Thesis research report. The vehicle is designed like an enclosed space that can be maneuvered like a motorcycle but furnished you with the usual binding of a car, namely the coupe and luggage boot. Apparently the car can be operated in several different positions depending on the speed. The space crunch issue is tackled with the option of vertically parking the vehicle. To balance itself out, while the vehicle touches great speed, it can tilt (like a bike) when curving or changing direction.

The specs of the Scarab read like this:
- The vehicle is composed of interchangeable modules that can be customized.
- Powerpack composed of a permanent battery plus 3 options for the main energy pack (battery, biofuel ICE or a fuel cell).
- 4 wheel drive through electric brushless in-wheel motors with directdrive.
- Wheels with regenerative braking through EW Brakes.
- Drive by wire and tactile HUD embedded in the Lexan canopy.
- Structural elements in Carbon-Aramid composite.
- Embedded sensors, Lidar, radar, transponders, GPS to exchange information with the system, with other drivers and to have precise location data.
For the infrastructure required for Scarab, the designer suggests the following:
- Communication nodes spread through roadways and traffic management centers in major places.
- Dedicated paths with electromagnetic transponders embedded in the road.
- Parking facilities with solar/wind power.
- High speed/long distance travel provided through a railroad interface.
Thanks David

Topics: Transport Tags: on October 7, 2008

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