Toyota PM Concept Car

Here's another very interesting concept car, the Toyata PM (for Personal Mobility).
No word yet on top speed or range, but here are some features:

• Driver-vehicle unity with ergonomic focus: Cabin and seat shape are designed to fit almost like a glove, while integrating the driver's intention with the car's capabilities.


• Variable "lifelike" posture: The cabin and wheel-suspension structure are separated, allowing the PM to vary its posture according to speed and to facilitate entry and exit.


• Space input display: A floating virtual display senses driver finger position and shows vehicle data, locations of other PMs and other information.


• Mobile Networking: PMs can share information as they travel, follow a leader in platoon formation and rendezvous automatically.

The PM configures itself into three positions:

• Entry/Exit mode - At rest, the cabin is upright and its length is minimized. Because the wheels are independent of one another, the PM can turn in place by turning the left and right rear wheels in opposite directions.


• City - In stop-and-go travel, the cabin tilts back, which allows it to maneuver through the tight corners of an urban environment.


• High-speed - On the open road, the wheelbase extends to allow the cabin to recline to its lowest posture to increase stability in high-speed travel.

In-depth info at HowStuffWorks.
Higher-res images at SeriousWheels.

Tags:

• Green
• Technology