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Ozone, the crazy cylinder-shaped car powered by a fuel cell
Let’s take a step back from conventional automobile design for a minute and take a look at Ozone. This rolling cylinder created by Istanbul designer Özkan Koral is a design concept for a Peugeot hydrogen-powered car, where each of the huge wheels is independently powered by electric motors.
It’s controlled by a joystick, and entire front of the car opens up when the door rotates underneath. See the gallery below for a view of the car completely closed with its semi-transparent windows covered up. It reminds us of those canisters you use to pass money to drive-through bank tellers.
Not to be a spoilsport, but I’d hate to change the gigantic tires on this thing. Also, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sound like a great idea until you start calculating their cost, as well as the monumental task of setting up a reliable network of refueling stations across the planet. Even so, this innovative design could be adapted to plug in, too.
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Özkan Koral, via Gearfuse
By Quiade at 5:04 PM ON 06/27/08
pretty cool to bad it'll never happen
By PeterD at 8:14 PM ON 06/27/08
As a car it's pretty silly. On the hydrogen concept though the "monumental task of setting up a reliable network of refueling stations across the planet" will be far easier than it was to set up a reliable network of gas stations across the planet in the first place. The infrastructure is already there -- if hydrogen fuel cell technology really takes off the oil companies are going to step up and equip their stations. Why wouldn't they? They're not in it to support oil at all costs, they're in it to make gigantic piles of cash. If the demand is there they'll invest the money needed to provide the supply, and the first corporation that manages to do it will make a killing.
By Anonymous at 1:00 PM ON 06/28/08
Why hydrogen? Why not just pure electric? It makes no sense to have to produce and ship hydrogen all over the planet to every station world wide as we do Gas today, just so that the hydrogen can charge electectric bateries in the hybrid car. A plug in car with more effient batteries eleiminates the constant resuppling of gas stations etc. Build a nuclear power plant in every state in the union to handle the extra need for electric powered cars. Plug in your car at night and that will handle nearly 90% of all our energy needs. Add a small 5 gallon gas tank to the cars to charge batteries for longer trips and you don't have to change the infrastructure at all at the stations. And it could begin right now. We would be able to provide for all our own energy needs in america.
By Magic at 1:08 PM ON 06/28/08
Ummm... Do you guys even know what hydrogen fuel is lol? It's baking soda and water from your kitchen and combining electricity to it creates the hydrogen fuel. You don't need fueling stations to do this nor pay someone. Just a cup of water from your kitchen tap and you are all set to go.
By Beowulf39565 at 4:35 AM ON 08/24/08
What? And by the way. When is someone going to point out that, by far, water vapor is the largest greenhouse gas in the planets atmosphere and just what is it that hydrogen cars pump out their tail pipes?
By CountBasey at 3:26 PM ON 07/22/09
Speaking from a physics standpoint - how do you stop it? I'm sure there is an ABS type of breaking system... but if you were to just jam on the breaks, wouldn't the cylendar just continue to roll (tossing the passengers around like some sort of carnival ride)? Talk about a death trap.
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CountBasey:
Speaking from a physics standpoint - how do you stop it? I'm sure there is an ABS type of breaking system... but i...More »