Tiny shape-shifting car drives sideways

The term “smart car” just got even smarter, thanks to the EO Smart Connecting Car 2, or EO 2 for short. Designed by German engineers at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, this flexible 1,653-pound electric vehicle is capable of shrinking, driving sideways (like a crab), and turning on a dime.

With a team of software developers and designers, as well as electronics and construction engineers, the innovative design of the EO 2 has been refined over the last three years. First announced in 2012, the team has moved onto their second iteration of the vehicle. 

The EO 2 smart car. Image via CNN.

According to project manager Timo Birnschein, the EO 2 drives like a traditional car, but because each wheel is powered by its own motor, it also has the capability of driving sideways, allowing it to slide into tight spaces in urban areas with limited parking. “The whole process — the transition between normal driving and driving sideways — takes about four seconds,” he told CNN.

The prototype has a top speed of 40 mph and can travel 30 to 44 miles on a single four-hour full charge of the battery, but what’s most impressive is the two-seater’s ability to shrink about 1.5 meters in length that has the team excited about its uses in future cities.

“It is able to reduce its own size by about 80 cm, which makes it almost as small as a bike in length. And with this kind of feature you can go into very tiny parking spaces,” Birnschein said. “You are still able to turn on the spot, you are still able to drive sideways and you are still able to connect to charging stations, for example.” 

Each wheel of the EO 2 smart car has its own motor, and the vehicle is able to drive sideways. Image via CNN.

Looking like something straight out of Transformers , the car partly folds itself to reduce its size by shifting the rear axle to the front, and sliding on a set of rails which raises the interior upwards, while still remaining comfortable for the passenger.

Pegged as the “micro car for a megacity,” the team is working hard to make the EO 2 roadworthy and envision it as a communal public resource, similar to existing car-sharing services. The idea is that when you need a car, you could head to your nearest docking station and select the vehicle that’s charged enough to drive the distance you need.

And the best part about having cars like these is that as far as parallel parking goes, this could be the end.

Story via CNN.