Small, clean, green machines

MIT CityCarWhile mass transportation systems such as trains or busses are hailed as the solution for urban mobility, there is often the problem with the last mile. MIT Media Lab (with support from GM) has developed a small car, the CityCar, specifically to be used in an urban context and for car sharing.The 2-seater cars are fully electric and also stackable. They work a bit like shopping carts in when the behind car touches a parked one in front, the front car lifts its body enabling stacking. When you want to drive off again, you merely touch a button and the front car disengages and moves slightly forward. The idea is that anyone uses any car.

A further feature is that the cars are capable of 360° steering, making parking a dream.

Because the cars are part of a single, computerized network, their placement can be coordinated to reduce traffic congestion or make transportation options available at peak times and places. Rental charges could fluctuate to encourage alternate routes. Commuters could keep track of where and when cars and parking spaces are available in real time, using cellphones or other hand-held devices to track the cheapest or the most convenient car, spot, or route.

Ryan Chin, one of team working on this project, said: “When you think of this, you shouldn’t think of a car. You should think of it as a new personal and sustainable mobility system and service. This is a clean and green machine.”

MIT has submitted a proposal to a government in Asia that is interested in building a network of these cars in one of their cities. The CityCar was part of the plan submitted by MIT that also recently won the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge.