CityCar

Sketch of the CityCar, the ultra-small vehicle developed by MIT Media Lab.

The CityCar or MIT CityCar is an urban all-electric concept car designed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. The project was conceived by the late William J. Mitchell and his Smart Cities Research Group. It is now led by Kent Larson, Director of the Changing Places Research Group at the Media Lab. The project came into conception in 2003 under the support of General Motors and a team led by ]. The CityCar weighs less than 1,000 pounds (450 kg), is 60% the size of a Smart Car, and its lithium-ion battery pack is expected to deliver the equivalent of 150 to 200 mpg_-us (1.2 to 1.6 L/100 km; 180 to 240 mpg_-imp) with no tailpipe emissions.^[1][2]

Time Magazine selected the CityCar as one of the "Best Inventions of 2007."^[3] Hiriko, a Spanish consortium, is building prototypes for testing in Boston, Singapore, Taiwan and Florence by mid 2011, and commercialization is scheduled for late 2012.^[4][5]

Mobility on demand

The CityCar concept was developed as the cleanest, economical and sustainable solution to meet the demand for personal urban mobility in densely populated cities, and was designed for cities as opposed to the conventional automobile, which shaped the city layout and landscape during the 20th century.^[1][6] The main purpose of the car is to supplement public transportation systems, providing mobility for the first and last part of a trip, which means that ideal deployment would be in urban car sharing fleets located near public transport hubs. This operational scheme is called “Mobility on Demand” system.^[5][7][8] The CityCar could also be used for short trips in government and corporate urban fleets to provide services such as mail and commercial deliveries, police patrolling, etc.^[4]

Design concept

The CityCar concept was designed as an all-electric four-wheel ultra-small vehicle (USV) for two passengers, and drive-by-wire driver interface. Each wheel is independently digitally controlled, with its own wheel motor, which enables them to move in different direction and speed, and allows the wheels to rotate up to 360 degrees, giving the vehicle more precise maneuverability. This feature makes the CityCar suitable for urban conditions, as it can perform sideways motions for parallel parking, and O-turns instead of the conventional three-point turns.^[6]

This wheel arrangement allows entry and exit at four points around the vehicle's perimeter. The CityCar was designed for front entry, which is feasible because there is no engine in the way. Baggage and emergency entry and exit are at the rear, and there is no side entry and exit. This configuration allows nose-in parking to the curb, and passenger embarkation from the sidewalk rather than from the road, which allows the elimination of the need for side clearance between parked vehicles. It also simplifies the vehicle, which does not need to accommodate door openings.^[6]

The CityCar was designed with a collapsible frame through a four-bar linkage that enables the vehicle to fold up for more compact parking, making possible to stack three or four CityCars in the length of a traditional parking bay, a particularly efficient feature in crowded urban settings.^[6][1] Safety systems operate at multiple levels. The car's folding mechanism also provides space for crash-deceleration systems. Its electronic sensing and wireless communications contribute to reduce the likelihood of crashes. And if a crash occurs, the low mass and relatively low speed reduce the energy involved in a crash with a similar vehicle. Seat belts and airbags will still be needed.^[6]

Specifications

The CityCar will be driven with a joystick or optionally an electronic steering wheel. The prototype is 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) long and folds to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) when parked, and weighs less than 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The top speed is 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph) and to which it can accelerate from rest in 3 seconds. The all-electric range is 120 kilometres (75 mi). The lithium-ion battery pack is located in the floor and can be recharged in 12 minutes. The electric car will be capable of climbing grades up to 20 percent.^[4][5]

Field testing

The Spanish consortium Hiriko, which includes MIT Media Lab Smart Cities Group, is building prototypes of the CityCar for testing in Boston, Singapore, Taiwan and Florence. M.I.T. engineers and designers have accounted for every cost in building the vehicle, and say that if the car were to go into production today it could retail for around US$18,000 and the first prototypes are expected to be available by mid 2011.^[5][7] Mass production is expected to begin by late 2012 with expected sales of 100,000 cars by 2014. Hiriko is planning to deploy the CityCar in ten cities a year in Europe, the United States and Asia.^[4]

See also

• Alternatives to the automobile
• Automotive design
• BMW Mega City Vehicle
• Bubble car
• City car
• Driverless car
• Electric car
• VisLab, and their VIAC intercontinental challenge (driving from Italy to China with autonomous vehicles)
• Google driverless car
• MIT Car
• General Motors EN-V
• Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (P.U.M.A.)
• Renault Twizy Z.E.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Mobility: CityCar". Smart Cities Group, MIT Media Lab. http://cities.media.mit.edu/projects/citycar.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
2. ^ Rich Maltzman (2010-09-26). "MIT’s green car of the future?". The Energy Collective. http://theenergycollective.com/richmaltzman/44138/mit%E2%80%99s-green-car-future. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
3. ^ "The Best Inventions Of 2007: Car, Compacted". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1677329_1677971_1677986,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Grupo español y el MIT presentan el proyecto del coche eléctrico Hiriko" (in Spanish). PortalAutomotriz.com. 2010-04-15. http://www.portalautomotriz.com/content/site/module/news/op/displaystory/story_id/29381/format/html/. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Heather Clancy (2010-09-24). "MIT’s radical proposal for an ultra-compact, foldable electric vehicle". SmartPlanet. http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/business-brains/mits-radical-proposal-for-an-ultra-compact-foldable-electric-vehicle/10419/. Retrieved 2010-10-16. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} Mitchell, William J.; Borroni-Bird, Christopher; Burns, Lawrence D. (2010). Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century (1st. ed.). The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-01382-6. http://ilp.mit.edu/webpubdetail.jsp?id=40.  Chapter 4, pp. 65-72.
7. ^ ^{a b} Zach McDonald (2010-10-12). "MIT's CityCar Concept Will Be Tested Next Year". PluginCars.com. http://www.plugincars.com/mits-citycar-concept-will-be-tested-next-year-90725.html. Retrieved 2010-10-16. 
8. ^ Alice Rawsthorn (2010-03-07). "Redesigning the Concept and Role of the Automobile". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/arts/08iht-design8.html?pagewanted=1&sq=MIT%20CityCar&st=cse&scp=7. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 

References

• Mitchell, William J.; Borroni-Bird, Christopher; Burns, Lawrence D. (2010). Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century (1st. ed.). The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-01382-6. http://ilp.mit.edu/webpubdetail.jsp?id=40. 
• Snyder, S.(2007). MIT Moves Forward with Smart Cities and Stackable Cars. Retrieved October 24, 2009. [1]
• Lombardi, C. (2007). MIT offers City Car for the masses. Retrieved September 28, 2009. [2]
• Gibson, M. P. (2007). A Carbon-Free, Stackable Rental Car. Retrieved September 28, 2009. [3]
• The Best Inventions Of The Year:Compacted Car (2007). Retrieved October 24, 2009. [4]
• Joachim, M., Kilian, A., & Mitchell, W. J. (2005). Transology: Reinventing The Wheel. Retrieved October 24, 2009. [5]

External links

• MIT Smart Cities Group
• LabCast
• Hiriko driving mobility