Would our city roads or airways be filled flying cars and drone taxis? Maybe in the future but certainly not in 10 years. Tangible transportation development still stays solidly on the ground, and all major car manufacturers try to get a hold of it in this new industry.
Mercedes just introduced its newest concept, the Urbanetic in Copenhagen. The concept added an interchangeable body on top of available technologies such as self-driving, and an electric zero carbon engine.
During rush hour, when transportation demands are high in the city, each car will feature a modular body that can carry up to 12 passengers. During the day, the body could be changed into a cargo carrying one, trying to maximize the efficiency of the car.
The electric engine will achieve zero carbon emission while minimizing the noise pollution in the city.
However, the most important part of the car is the “brain” behind it. To coordinate the traffic with an autonomous vehicle in a city would be hard to tackle.
Mercedes said the fleet will be equipped with an “Intelligent and self-learning” IT system, which includes fleet management and adaptability to real-time traffic. The passengers and other clients could access it through an app like Uber. Mercedes didn’t reveal the technology behind it. As for us, we can’t wait to see what the surge charge is going to be with this system. Maybe we will miss the flat fee for a good old yellow cab.
