Could This Be The Future Of Car Commuting?

This is how you could commute in the future. It is expected that space will be at a premium in the cities of the future, the people of the future will not have the time or the patience to drive, and technology will be advanced enough to not need any human intervention - in short, the car of the future will look, feel and function unlike any available today. It will be compact, fully autonomous and shared by everyone (almost).

Mercedes-Benz thinks that the car of the future, used by those who want to commute in cities, will look like the smart vision EQ fortwo.

The smart vision EQ fortwo concept is quite compact. With a length of 2699mm, width of 1720mm and height of 1535mm (longer than the Tata Nano but shorter than the Alto 800, and almost as wide and tall as the Alto 800) it is designed to be a comfortable car which can seat two people and be small enough for the city.

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While the vision EQ does have some resemblance to the current crop of cars from smart, it has been designed keeping in mind the needs of the urban commuters of the future. The overall rounded shape, LED lights, 44-inch LED display at the front and the huge glass doors give it a cutesy and approachable look.

Ideally, a proportionally large fleet of cars like the vision EQ will run around a given city. Most of these cars will never sit idle, which reduces the need for parking infrastructure. As the number of individually owned cars reduces, traffic will reduce too.

Riders can hail a car via their mobile devices and a car will automatically be allotted to him/her depending on their selected route and car availability; they do not have to go to designated spots to be picked up. To help riders identify their car, the vision EQ has a large black panel display at the front and a projection system on the doors which can show customised messages.

Inside, the smart vision EQ is spacious, simplistic and smart. The doors are hinged over the rear wheel wells and open up like butterfly wings to save space and also reduce the risk of hitting passersby. The large glasshouse all around makes the cabin feel spacious and calming. 

The seat looks like is a flat bench but has a flush-fitting armrest which can be deployed if needed. The cabin has storage spaces on the floor and under the armrest while there are straps around the cabin to tie down small pieces of luggage.

As you may have noticed, the smart vision EQ does not have a physical steering wheel or pedals. This is a completely autonomous car, and that saves up a lot of space for other things in the dashboard.

Once on the move, the smart vision EQ provides different options for the occupants -- they can choose to interact with each other or do their own thing. Those who do opt to connect with their fellow passengers can use the onboard 24-inch display to show shared interests or interact using digital mediums. Or they can just talk to each other.

The all-electric drivetrain should allow them to have quiet conversations. The smart vision EQ is powered by a rechargeable 30 kWh lithium-ion battery. Mercedes-Benz says the fleet of cars can recharge or discharge using inductive charging, which can help reduce the load on a city's electrical grid as a particular car is always optimally charged.

The smart vision EQ fortwo concept will be showcased at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Mercedes-Benz is set to launch 'more than' ten all-electric cars by 2022.

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