Folding car is answer to parking nightmare

11 years ago | Posted in: Technology | 742 Views

Known as the Armadillo, the car could be the answer to a motorist’s prayers especially in supermarkets and urban car parks where spaces can be a challenge.

All a motorist needs to do is drive up to the space, get out of the car and press a switch on a mobile phone.

Then the rear of the car folds over the rest of the vehicle, mimicking how an armadillo uses a protective shell to ward of hostile predators.

This cuts the length of the car almost in half to 1.65 metres – 65 inches.

The mobile is also used to park the car itself thanks to a Windows based computer system.

Space has also been saved by replacing the wing mirrors with small cameras, which project onto a screen on the dashboard.

The Armadillo is an electric two-seater car capable of travelling 62 miles on a 10-minute charge.

However there is one small snag, the South Korean authorities have yet to agree to allow the car on the road because it does not meet the country’s crash resistance standards.

An AA spokesman however voiced doubts about the technology.

”We can see a bit of a problem in that, having folded over for parking, what happens if another car parks ‘bumper to bumper’ and prevents the Armadillo from unfolding again?

”The Nottingham workplace parking levy is about to meet its nemesis if micro cars like this mean you can get two cars into one parking space. Other councils may have to re-write their parking charges and halve their fines if they find two Armadillos getting cosy in one parking space.”

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

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