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The Dot car, a concept for a future where everyone's tailgating
We've seen stackable cars that have crazy wheels, but here's a futuristic concept that looks like one itself. The "Dot," by UK-based designer Varun Niti Singh, is an electric, emission-free vehicle that can stack against other Dots for greater performance.
The core of the Dot's group-friendly driving experience is that it's a networked vehicle. Once it's out on the road, it can invite other vehicles to join it on its route, and, not unlike Voltron, all the cars perform better. At least, that's the plan. Cars the stack on the road are a popular idea at the moment, but the technology to make them possible — and the real-world logistics — is still a ways away.
Check out more of the Dot and its interior in the gallery below.
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Eco Friend, via Auto Motto
By at1086 at 2:10 AM ON 04/11/09
This thing is looks suspiciously like a hailfire droid with a casing.
By chasum at 2:35 AM ON 04/11/09
wow... Mass suicide was never so much fun or eco friendly
By Commander at 5:55 AM ON 04/11/09
This is mankind's "future", as what an insect in an ant colony? Forget it.
By namelessme at 10:34 AM ON 04/11/09
People are sooooooo closed minded...
By drenk at 12:32 PM ON 04/11/09
getting close.. if only it were on a system of rails..
By sonar at 8:39 AM ON 04/12/09
A rip off from peugeot concept from 2006.
see here:
By nightlife at 10:24 AM ON 04/13/09
Kind of reminds me of the cars from Minority Report
By Airayna at 7:57 AM ON 04/16/09
Read about something like this in 5th grade in the 60's - in school. Of Course back then all things were possible.
By Snapper2000 at 9:30 AM ON 04/16/09
For some strange reason I want to drag out my old Centipede game.
By Opus the Poet at 10:59 AM ON 04/16/09
That car would have to draft (stack) on high speed roads to get any decent mileage, basically it is just a big hole punch aerodynamically. The front is almost a vertical flat surface (there is some curvature but not much) and ditto the rear. Now you get at least 4 of them lined up touching bumpers like they were on the back stretch at Talladega and the cars in the middle would probably get decent energy consumption rates, but the 2 end cars would still be getting pretty crappy energy consumption. I use the word "energy" instead of "gas" because I don't see any cooling vents for an ICE, so I have to assume this is an electric car.
By Benesh at 11:57 AM ON 04/16/09
wouldn't the cars behind the first car be able to generate more power because of the decreased wind resistance and use that to push the front car forward?
By VFXR at 12:58 PM ON 04/16/09
This concept car is a great idea as well as the Pugeot. What I would like to know is what is it made of and I'd want to see the wind tunnel results. If we don't dream -we won't get there.
By PeepsMcJuggs at 5:08 PM ON 04/16/09
I think people are overlooking the number 1 problem with this concept: you're trusting the driving ability of the guy in the front. When someone "invites" you to connect to them, do you get a little stat display of the number of mishaps and near-misses they've had?
By Beedo at 6:31 PM ON 04/16/09
Very cute, but looks and sounds bloody impractical. Any room for groceries? Or for anything other than two people, for that matter? You'd have to buy two just to get any cargo space. While it's cool and adorable, I think I'll stick to my Vauxhall Corsa.
By adb at 12:54 PM ON 04/17/09
Wow, complain, complain, complain. When did we all turn into petulant whiney little brats? More power to 'em, I say - make it work!
By Wulf at 1:50 AM ON 04/18/09
Getting closer to something that may work. What if they tweaked the concept a little. No one wants to give up their mobility by riding a commuter train but what if they could have small commuter cars like this that could be easily loaded and unloaded? You could utilize the train for your main commute and still have the ability to go to different destinations when you reached your stop.
By Mike at 9:15 AM ON 04/18/09
emission free? I suppose it's also got perpetual motion figured out. Where does it get the energy from - wishful thinking? It's NOT emission free, it's emissions are simply trans-located. sheesh.
By ButtCorp at 11:07 PM ON 04/18/09
This seems useful only on the highway, not in the city. So you're on the highway and the guy in the middle wants to exit...meaning the whole group has to pull over and wait...? You can't peel off from the group at 200km/h, or join, with such a vehicle. Why not just start off with an aerodynmaic car and save all the complexity? Or indeed, design a car that fits onto a train.
By mirjoin at 2:40 PM ON 04/25/09
What do you do when the person in the middle needs to stop for a restroom break. LOL It's kind of like playing on a team in a MMORPG. If you don't have the same goal or destination, it's not going to be very practical.
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What do you do when the person in the middle needs to stop for a restroom break. LOL It's kind of like playing on a...More »