Rinspeed is a Swiss-based automobile manufacturer and tuning designer with a very vivid imagination. Although it produces “normal” tuning products like the 600HP Porsche 911 Turbo, it is projects like the James Bond-like submersible Lotus Elise or the BamBoo EV study that are its hallmark.
Now, the innovative design house is planning to launch a new “mobility concept” at the 2012 Geneva Salon next March. The “Dock+Go” is the brainchild of Frank M. Rinderknecht, who describes it as a docking “backpack on wheels”.
The idea behind its creation was born out of most electric vehicles’ problem: their restricted range. Although any EV can serve as a basis, Rinspeed chose the electric Smart ForTwo for displaying its solution.
The “Dock+Go” is like a trailer that, as its name suggests, docks to the rear of the car. The Vario-Hybrid can be fitted with a normal internal combustion engine, a range extender, a battery pack or a fuel cell, and it drives the rear axle of the car, thus extending its range.
Rinspeed doesn’t limit its use to EV vehicles, though. Apart from the range-extending Vario-Hybrid, the “Dock+Go” can also be fitted with a variety of “packs”, from an integrated heated box suitable for pizza delivery, a toolbox, camping, golf, skiing or even a party package.
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