In 2000, Apple was a computer manufacturer. Today, it still churns out more-stylish-than-ever iMacs and MacBooks, but it has become a much bigger entity dominating the digital music player, smart phone and tablet markets.
So, now that the iPod, iPhone and iPad have become a part of our everyday lives, maybe it’s time for the company to move on. To what, you may ask?
Shane Baxley, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation Design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, thinks that cars are a great way for the company to diversify and expand its business. That’s why his project, which was completed last April, is a car-sharing service designed for the Apple brand.
Baxley’s project is named the iGo and it consists of three autonomous electric vehicles:
The iMe is an ultra-compact one-person transportation vehicle; the iWe, a family vehicle for longer journeys and the iUs, a version of the iWe that’s meant for “a date out with the significant other” or, since it’s the only one in which the driver can assume control, be taken out for a ride.
All three are controlled be Apple’s Cloud Network, which the designer says, will control 75 percent of all vehicles on the road, allowing them to travel at high speed just inches apart from each other with safety, zero emissions and reduced travel times.
According to Baxley, the iMe relies on wireless charging during its urban routes, the iWe is omni-directional, in that the front is identical to the back and LEDs can work as head- or taillights on either end, while the iUs is a two-seat sports car version of the iWe with a different front quarter and seating position.
Each vehicle’s range is designed to suit its purpose. The urban iMe can travel just 35 miles between charges, while the highway-oriented iWe has a 300-mile range and the iUs travelling for 200 miles on a single charge (always in theory).
The iWe and iUs use Tesla’s lithium-ion battery on chassis design as it offers structural advantages, an excellent weight distribution and a low center of gravity, while its electric motor allows the iWe to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than 5.0 seconds.
Baxley’s tag line is “iGo: travel done Apple” and sums up the whole concept with the following phrase: “Cars are gorgeous pieces of fluid sculpture. A freeway filled with fluid sculpture doing 90 mph is visual chaos. A freeway filled with the Apple iWe is reminiscent of being surrounded by Zen rocks. Calming is an understatement”.
So what do you say about Baxley’s Apple car-sharing idea? Voice your thoughts in the comments below.
Design Credits: Shane Baxley , Story References CarBodyDesign
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