MIT developing new stackable/foldable car

In this day and age it seems fitting that Science – MIT’s Media Lab, and Industry – General Motors Corp, come together to solve a global transportation problem. Together they are building a prototype of a type of electric vehicle that can be rented by the masses under a shared-use business model, and folded and stacked like grocery carts at supermarkets, or even like luggage carts at an airport.

It’s called the City Car, and the key to the concept lies in the design of its wheels. Dreamers have been reinventing the wheel since the days of cave dwellers. But the work underway in "the Cube," the Media Lab’s basement studio, may be the most ambitious remake yet.

The MIT team has transformed the lowly wheel into a sophisticated robotic drive system that will power the City Car. Embedded in each of its four wheels will be an electric motor, steering and braking mechanisms, suspension, and digital controls, all integrated into sealed units that can be snapped on and off.

And under the hood . . . well, there won’t be a hood on the City Car. Just an eggshell-shaped glass plate — part roof, part windshield — framing the modular cabin and stretching almost to the chassis.

"We’re eliminating the internal combustion engine," said Media Lab research assistant Ryan Chin , studio coordinator for City Cars. He said the four electric motors will enable a more efficient use of power by also dispensing with the transmission and driveline. "We’re removing as much hardware from the car as possible."

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