City dwellers know how crazy-making it can be to endlessly hunt for a parking space, especially those in the most crowded cities, like Seoul and Tokyo. The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has revealed an electric-vehicle prototype designed to fold up to save parking space.
Imagine a metal armadillo, that, instead of rolling into a ball, sort of folds in on itself: that is the Armadillo-T. Conveniently, that is where it got its name. The Armadillo-T is one of the first of its kind to be introduced to South Korea. You may have heard of a similar concept in the form of the Hiriko, a brainchild of MIT that launched in Spain last year.
On first thought, you may think that it is an interesting space-saving design, but how does it function as a vehicle? Although it only has a maximum speed of 37 mph, making it perfect for travel within the city, the Armadillo-T can travel 62 miles after only 10 minutes of charging its lithium ion battery. After it is parked, the car can fold in length from its original 110 inches to almost half (65 inches) via a smart phone interface. To save even more space, cameras replace the side- and rear-view mirrors. According to the Korean Wall Street Journal, three Armadillo-Ts can be fit into one standard-sized parking spot in Korea, all using the same smart phone application.
While the Armadillo-T might not interest those with a need for speed, the less than 1,000-pound prototype looks promising as a practical urban vehicle, especially in countries that have limited room for city parking. The fact that it’s also an environmentally friendly electric car earns it extra brownie points. However, it doesn’t look like it would offer much in the way of protection during an accident, and you would definitely have to make sure that you were on time for your appointments!
