armadillo-T micro electric car folds like a desert creature

armadillo-T micro electric car folds like a turtle
image courtesy KAIST

in-soo suh, an associate professor of the graduate school for green transportation at korea’sadvancedinstituteofscienceandtechnology, along his research team, developed a foldable, compact electric vehicle that can be used as either as a personal car or part of the public transit system, connecting major transportation routes within a city. according to phys.org, the lightweight EV takes up only one-third of a 5-meter parking space – the standard parking size in korea – allowing three of its kind to be parked. although it only has a maximum speed of 60 km/h, a ten-minute fast charge can give the micro car enough range to travel up to 100 km, making it ideal for inner-city commuting.

the collapsible vehicle  features a smartphone-interfaced remote control on its wheels, which enable it to turn 360 degrees. because the electric motors are installed inside the wheels, the battery and motors do not have to change their positions when the car folds, optimizing the compression of its original size of 2.8 meters down to 1.65 meters. cameras installed inside the car eliminate the need for side mirrors, reducing blind spots and increasing visibility on both sides of the car while driving.

foldable micro all-electric car, ‘armadillo-T’
video courtesy KAISTPR

the compact electric vehicle can be utilized as part of the public transit system within a dense city
image courtesy KAIST

cameras installed inside the car eliminate the need for side mirrors
image courtesy KAIST