The Rinspeed Splash is a peppy sports car, going from 0-60 in 5.9 seconds and hitting top speeds of a modest 125mph. However, getting to a destination is not just about the speed at which you travel, but the route you take getting there. And the natural gas powered Rinspeed Splash, with the touch of a button, uses hydraulics to transform the car into a boat.
The Smart Cities group at the MIT Media Lab is working on two low-cost electric vehicles that it hopes will revolutionize mass transit and help alleviate pollution. Next week, the group will unveil a prototype of its foldable electric scooter at the EICMA
Motorcycle Show, in Milan. A prototype for the team’s foldable electric car, called the City Car, is slated to follow next year.
The MIT group sees the vehicles as the linchpin in a strategy that aims to mitigate pollution with electric power, expand limited public space by folding and stacking vehicles like shopping carts, and alleviate congestion by letting people rent and return the vehicles to racks located near transportation hubs, such as train stations, airports, and bus depots.
