This one-seater urban car is basically a rubber egg on wheels.

The egg-shell is an airbag that is kept under a constant pressure while the car moves. In case of an accident, the entire drivers cabin acts as an airbag.

1. This is an electro-pneumatic car; as in ordinary electric cars, when you brake, you can recover some energy back into the battery. We do the same, but with air. The air gets compressed and stored in a small tank. This air then keeps the egg-shell under pressure, so that it is rigid. We always keep a reserve of compressed air in the tank, though.

2. In case of an accident, the entire eggshell inflates like an airbag. Even though this car is very light-weight, and you will be thrown into the air in case of an accident, you will simply bounce to the ground safely after a while.

3. Advanced inflatable fabrics exist that are stronger than steel! [See link].

4. The advantage of this car is that it is basically a shell on a chassis. The shell is almost entirely independent from it, and just rides on it (attached to it with clips, like ski-boots on skis). This chassis can be therefor be foled up, the inflatable shell, deflated, and the car parked taking up a very small space.

I made two very rough sketches of it [see links]; the small windows still have to be put in it. But they would pop-out in case of an accident, as the egg inflates.
-- django, Nov 02 2006

(?) Advanced military engineered inflatables http://www.armedfor...red-inflatables.asp
They are advanced! [django, Nov 02 2006]

(?) The egg car http://i3.photobuck...iddiesel/eggcar.jpg
Driving mode [django, Nov 02 2006]

(?) The egg car http://i3.photobuck...esel/eggcarfold.jpg
Parking mode, fold me up [django, Nov 02 2006]

Uh, how the hell do you see the road?

//you will be thrown into the air in case of an accident, you will simply bounce to the ground safely after a while.// Quite a long while if you were T-boned and "bounced" over a cliff.
-- Chefboyrbored, Nov 02 2006


I had just added that the windows still have to be added to the pic - while you were posting your question :-)

So there would be small windows in the shell, that would pop-out as the egg inflates in case of an accident.
-- django, Nov 02 2006


Phew, I thought I was going insane!
-- Chefboyrbored, Nov 02 2006


The Zorb-car. Neat. I would keep it inflated even in regular traffic. Parking would be a snap. My idea was to have all town cars replaced with carnival bumper cars, but this is even better. Bun.
-- Veho, Nov 02 2006


This wouldn't be good to drive on a windy day.
-- BJS, Nov 02 2006


...and he called them sketches.
-- BJS, Nov 03 2006



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