Tag Archives: minivan

Vanderer’s Citroën 2CV Electric Mini Camper Van is a retro-modern van for adventurers

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Vanderer, a niche automotive design firm, has unveiled a stunning electric mini camper van based on the iconic Citroën 2CV. The classic 2CV, renowned for its quirky design and timeless appeal, has undergone a futuristic transformation, marrying the charm of the past with the sustainability of the present.

The electric mini camper van is a testament to the evolving landscape of automotive design, where heritage meets innovation. The design firm has seamlessly integrated an electric powertrain into the beloved 2CV, offering a clean and eco-friendly driving experience without compromising on the nostalgic aesthetic that motorheads adore.

Designer: Vanderer and Caravan Grebner

Underneath its charming exterior, the mini camper van packs a punch with its electric propulsion system. The electric motor not only aligns with the growing trend towards sustainable mobility but also enhances the driving dynamics of the 2CV. The camper van promises a smooth and silent ride, a departure from the characteristic hum of traditional combustion engines.

Beyond its eco-conscious credentials, Vanderer has ingeniously converted the rear section of the 2CV into a compact camper, elevating its utility and appeal. The mini camper van is equipped with essentials for a cozy getaway, including a compact kitchenette, sleeping quarters, and storage space cleverly integrated within the limited dimensions of the vehicle. This innovative approach caters to the rising demand for versatile, small-scale camper vans that can navigate both urban jungles and scenic landscapes.

The fusion of retro design and modern functionality is evident in the camper’s interior, where Vanderer has tastefully blended vintage aesthetics with contemporary comforts. The camper van boasts a minimalist yet functional layout, creating an inviting space for travel enthusiasts to embark on spontaneous road trips with ease.

As automotive enthusiasts and eco-conscious motorheads celebrate the arrival the Vanderer Citroën 2CV Electric Mini Camper Van, and its all set to make the world premier at 2024 CMT caravan and tourism show to commence on January 13 in Stuttgart. The unique combination of electric mobility and camper functionality within the classic 2CV framework exemplifies the endless potential for innovation in the ever-evolving world of custom camper vans.

Caravan Grebner will offer the ride as a limited edition version of 200 models with price and the final specifications still kept under the carpet for now.

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Modular electric minivan is inspired by puzzles for a more sustainable design

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Although electric cars are becoming more common, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what they’re capable of. Removing the need for traditional fuel and relying on batteries opens up new possibilities, and not just in terms of power sources. It can offer a bit more flexibility when it comes to the form and function of the vehicle, like cars with completely digital interfaces or screens all around. There might even be room for a modular design, as this concept for a tiny Japanese electric van tries to show, allowing the manufacturer or even the owner to switch out certain parts both outside and inside to match their needs, just like pieces of a puzzle.

Designer: HW Electro

To be fair, a modular car might be a bit far down the road considering the industry is hyper-focused on standardizing electric vehicles and making self-driving features more acceptable to the masses. That’s not to say that the design is a distant possibility only, especially when the features are made to be more practical rather than fantastical. Switching out panels is probably more feasible than switching out whole car parts or components, which is the kind of modularity that the Puzzle concept embodies.

At first glance, the boxy shape of the Puzzle will already look strange to those not used to so-called “Kei cars,” but this kind of van design is popular in Japan for striking a balance between large interior capacity and small compact size. It’s a design that screams practical efficiency, and making it modular is taking it to the next level. But unlike what you might be imagining, the Puzzle’s pieces, pardon the pun, are limited to swapping out certain panels at the sides, corners, and even inside. It’s a bit of a generic system that opens up quite a number of possibilities but, more importantly, it also doesn’t tie them down to a specific design or part. It also makes replacing damaged panels easier and more economical, something that you can only dream of with regular cars.

The Puzzle van also has secrets to reveal inside its extremely spacious cabin. The interior door panel has slots that make it possible to add and remove different modules, such as containers, cup holders, and the like. Even the dashboard has this kind of design, yielding a clean yet flexible space for expanding the van’s capabilities, especially in the infotainment aspect. The cargo space, which is practically a cube, is also more space-efficient for storing boxes and all sorts of large objects, making the EV a potential delivery vehicle.

Thanks to the boxy form of this Kei car, it’s possible to put a solar panel on the roof to really maximize its battery mileage. Modular and sustainable, the Puzzle minivan concept offers an extremely simple yet effective solution to the future of electric vehicles, one that espouses the Japanese spirit of minimalism and practicality where form clearly follows function.

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Solar electric minivan lets you power up in emergency situations

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In the old days, the only function of vehicles was to transport people and goods to their desired location. But as technology evolves, we expect a lot more from them other than just a way to get from point A to point B. We also expect newer cars to be much more eco-friendly, hence the emergence of electric vehicles. Now, we’re seeing vehicles that are able to “contribute to society” in their own way by adding various functionalities aside from just moving.

Designer: HW Electro

Puzzle is a small commercial electric vehicle from HW Electro that may be the size of a light car or van but also has a lot of other functionalities built into it. It can become a mobile power source during emergencies with its AC power supply function and can also become a WiFi hotspot that anyone can connect to. It also has an emergency kit that can be used during emergency situations. The van also has solar panels on top to add to the power source. They plan to add even more functions eventually as the vehicle evolves.

The exterior of the vehicle has been streamlined so it’s easy to remove or add other components since they’re using the same panels. This way they are able to eliminate waste during production since things like the panel under the front light, the front edge of the roof, the left front door, and the right rear door are made from the same exterior panel. The interior has an almost cubic cargo space so you can use the full size of the van. There are also interior panels made into pinboards so you can turn the inside into more of a modular space which you can arrange according to your needs and preferences.

HW Electro released a dedicated app so you can connect electric vehicles like the Puzzle to users’ smartphones to keep track of various information like battery level, charging status, location, etc. If you plan to travel long distances and use your vehicle as your shelter and power source, this is a good eco-friendly and multi-function option for you.

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Audi Urbansphere EV concept is a spacious lounge on wheels loaded with high end tech

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Audi has revealed the Urbansphere concept which speeds into the future where EVs will be more of a premium lounge experience and not just mere vessels of transportation. A time when we’ll be spending more time relaxing in the four-wheeler rather than driving.

The trifecta concept from Audi’s Sphere series is here and by far it is the biggest when we talk of the length. While I’m restraining myself from labeling it a minivan, still it heavily weights on the side of one. We’ve already had our head over heels for the shape-shifting Skysphere roadster, this one is more from the conventional realm. In fact, this is by far the biggest car Audi has crafted with a total length of 217 inches, 79.1 inches width, and 70 inches of headroom.

Designer: Audi

Given its humongous size, there are only four bucket seats inside which take full advantage of the elegant lounge-like form with the swivel and reclining function giving the riders utmost freedom. Audi Urbansphere concept is our present-day glimpse of the electric mobility future with interiors more akin to a lounge space or a mobile office no one would be able to resist. On the outside, it takes the styling cues from the A4 e-Tron electric crossover.

The luxurious EV concept riding on 24-inch rims is tailored for a progressive mobility era where level 4 autonomous driving will be more than a common thing, and the digitally dominated cabin space takes a detour to a more communal and open design. It’s no surprise the Urbansphere has seatbacks capable of 60 degrees recline and an extendable footrest means the occupants ride in utmost luxury. Audi is planning to add a large format and transparent OLED screen which pivots vertically down from the glass roof to divide the two seating rows just like a taxi divider.

Urbansphere will get an anxiety detection tech to scan the face and voice analyzer to determine any signs of anxiety. If the metrics are not right, it will offer personalized suggestions for stress relief. There will be calming wood accents inside the cabin and display panels on the central infotainment screen. The tech infusion doesn’t stop there – the car will be loaded with a pseudo assistant to make restaurant reservations, order groceries, or ferry the riders to the destination and find parking on its own.

The vehicle will get the 800V architecture with 270 kW max DC charging speed., So, the Urbansphere will be capable of charging the 120 KwH battery pack from 5 to 80 percent in just 25 minutes. That’s equivalent to a 466-mile range capacity. In just 20 minutes the battery can be topped for a 186 miles stint.

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This Apple Car concept has ‘familiar’ cheese-grater inspired wheels, and supports wireless-charging

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You know Apple is dead serious about something when not a single structural detail ever leaks out to the press. It’s easy for iPhone designs or MacBook designs to leak out to the press nearly a year before the product is actually announced. With Apple’s supply chain, it’s difficult really to keep things under wraps, but when Apple’s working on something that’s still in its conceptual stages, there’s absolutely no chance anyone will ever get to see what it looks like. It’s why we know that Apple’s working on a folding phone, an AR headset, and even a car. Sure, we know that they’re working on these products (because the company probably wants to gauge public opinion), but nobody knows anything about how the Apple car will look – whether it’ll be a coupe, a sedan, a minivan, a pickup truck, or a pod… zilch.

That informational-void is the perfect playground for designers like Emre Husmen, a transportation designer who arguably created a better conceptual Tesla truck than the company itself. According to Husmen, if Apple were to create a car, a minivan would be its best format. As demonstrated with his concept, the Apple iV (iVehicle, or iVan) minivan would come with a clean, no-nonsense design language best associated with the brand, along with the glowing Apple logo once seen on the company’s MacBooks. Available in the three colors often associated with the brand’s image (white, space gray, jet black), the iV looks large enough to seat well over 4 people, but the presence of only two doors would indicate a seating pattern that’s different from that commonly found in minivans. Look carefully and there’s a green dot beneath the Apple logo on the front as well as the back, possibly indicating the presence of self-driving sensors. The car even comes with a pretty large boot, edge-lit headlights and taillights, and a rather interesting looking wireless-charging feature on the underside of the car, pairing with wireless charging pads built right into the ground.

Well, that’s a fairly detailed description of the car, but what would they collectively indicate? It seems like Husmen’s vision of an Apple Car is more of a shuttle service than your average fashionable sedan or roadster. While Apple’s all about flair and fashion, the iV has much more of a laser-like focus on public transport and on passenger safety, given the car’s large boxy appearance. The car probably self-drives, and can automatically drop and pick people up, sort of like a never-ending carpool service… except for when it has to refuel. Refueling, at least according to Husmen, is wireless and contact-free. The car simply parks itself over a charging hub and electricity flows through the ground and the car’s wireless coil located on its base. Another rather whimsical detail lies in the car’s wheels, which come with a pattern of circles that look an awful lot like those found on the iPhone camera bump or on the ‘cheese-grater’ Mac Pro from 2019! Now while this is more of a visualization exercise and less of a prank, it’s difficult to say if Husmen included that detail as a tongue-in-cheek way of reminding us of Apple’s polarizing design detail. Personally, I just hope nobody on Apple’s design team ever really considers using that cheese-grater texture anywhere (although Apple DID patent a ‘cheesegrater’ iPhone recently). That aside, if someone at Apple wants to look at this concept for inspiration, I’m all for it! An Apple minivan actually wouldn’t be a bad idea. I can even imagine the insides being outfitted with screens that play AppleTV content!

Designer: Emre Husmen

Image Credits: Emre Husmen

What happens when a Tesla Cybertruck and a minivan have a love-child…

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Named after the very man who pioneered the edgy, angular, low-poly aesthetic, the Brubaker Box is a minivan inspired by the designs of Curt Brubaker – who’s work also directly influenced design of the Tesla Cybertruck.

The Brubaker Box is essentially for families who want to adopt the Cybertruck aesthetic without necessarily buying a pickup. Made possibly for edgy soccer moms, the minivan comes with a slightly softer low-poly design that’s more approachable and friendly (after all, you want to look more like a family person and less like you’re Mad Max-ing your way through life).

The Brubaker Box comes with a metallic finish and as a quirky touch, wooden bumpers. The car seats two at front and has a spacious rear, accessible by a single sliding door. on the opposite side, instead of a second door is an entertainment center to keep the kids occupied on long road trips. Windows on the side and two long sun-roofs that run along the top help illuminate the insides of the car during the day, while a light strip between the sun-roofs helps in lower light settings. The interiors of the car reflect a sense of cleanliness and purity that sort of mirrors the outside. There isn’t an overwhelming presence of seats at the back, giving you a lot of breathing space (which if you have kids, should be a blessing), while the dashboard on the front is absolutely pristine too, with just a steering wheel and two displays to provide essential information. The car’s conceptual, but it’s safe to assume that something this futuristic doesn’t run on gasoline. The car doesn’t look like it comes with boot space, indicating a sort of electric skateboard setup that puts the batteries and essential components under the cuboidal cabin. A pretty nifty combination of being boxy yet out-of-the-box, no?

Designer: Samir Sadikhov

Toyota brings Alexa and CarPlay to 2018 Camry and Sienna

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Good news: you don't have to buy a brand new Toyota (or score a very lightly used model) just to get modern mobile conveniences. The automaker has announced that you can add Amazon Alexa and Apple CarPlay (sorry, no Android Auto) to the 2018 Camry a...

Chrysler makes a case for the hybrid minivan

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No one marvels at minivans. Well, except maybe at car-stereo events (you can get so many woofers in the back of a van). But in real life, on the streets, the world treats the minivan like a defeat: It's what you buy as an adult when you've given...