Attachable third axle for more cargo, sound system or range extender!
By Gavin Conway on February 22, 2012 10:35 AM
The good folks at Rinspeed can always be counted on to deliver motor show concepts that stretch the imagination – they’re the guys that dreamed up with the underwater sQuba car, for example. And now they’ve added the whacky Dock+Go concept to the madcap portfolio.
It’s based on the 2012 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive pure-electric city car, as you can see in the latest pics, and we think it looks extremely cool.
Rinspeed calls the concept a “backpack on wheels”, and the idea is that you can modify the basic Smart ED with a third axle modular piece that fills a specific need. Rinspeed reckons, for example, that the Smart’s regular range of about 75 miles would be ideal for a pizza delivery outfit, hence the rather groovy ‘pizza wagon’ pictured. Alternatively, you might have the need for a mini pickup truck for a tip run, or some extra space for holiday gear.
The "energy pack" adds a range-extending engine or battery pack, allowing longer journeys between charges. Rinspeed calls it the world's first 'Variohybrid'.But the neatest trick this concept pulls out of the bag is its ability to hitch up to a ‘range-extender’ power source, which allows the Dock+Go to get you as far as you need without having to stop for charge. Rinspeed envisions its “energy pack”, as it calls it, utilising either additional batteries, or a fuel cell or a conventional combustion engine range extender.
The 2012 Geneva Motor Show showcar will feature a “sound pack”, which high-end infotainment specialist Harman has loaded up with a custom built sound system for pumping out tunes. Another hugely amusing feature of the Dock+Go is something Rinspeed calls the ‘Identiface’.
Left: the interior incorporates all the latest trick infotainment gubbins, and more. Right: the mechanics of the Dock+Go.It’s basically a screen that pops over the front grille and because the concept has internet connectivity (that’s de riguer these days), you can stick up anything from advertising, rolling news or, as Rinspeed suggests, your Facebook page. Oh yes, what could possibly go wrong with that…?
At any rate, the Rinspeed concept is loaded with clever innovations. We’ll give you the rundown when we hit the Geneva Show floor on 6th March. But in the meantime, here’s a video that’s either massively naff or knowingly cool – we can’t tell which.