autonomous overnight travel pod can swiftly drive passengers to places while they’re asleep

Sleep and travel inside autonomous overnight ‘swift’ pod

Designer Peter Stulz and his 3D illustration studio Xoio conceived the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle named Swift Pod, which can drive passengers on its own while they’re sleeping inside the hotel-like cabin. For the design team, Swift Pod can be booked like a normal taxi using an app – along with the desired time and place, or even pre-reserved for a specific date. Once the autonomous overnight travel pod arrives, passengers board inside, and the vehicle autonomously calculates the optimal route and required speed to reach the destination in time.

images courtesy of Xoio GmbH and Miguel Potier

Triangular concept vehicle with giant wheels

No one is driving Xoio’s Swift Pod, and everyone can just sleep or engage in any activity they might want inside the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle. Before stepping in, the exterior alone may reveal how spacious the cabin is. The side profile presents two gigantic wheels, which may make the concept vehicle resemble a larger version of a motorcycle, looking like some steel-forged eyes of an emoji.

But once passengers look on the other side, they will realize that Swift Pod has three wheels, as the concept vehicle slopes and forms a triangle. ‘We chose to stick with the iconic triangular shape to emphasize the narrative in a multimodal future of transportation,’ says Peter Stulz on the Xoio design team’s decision to opt for a triangular pod.

the door of Swift Pod opens upwards

travel sitting upright or while sleeping

Up to two travelers can be accommodated inside the Swift Pod. They can either travel sitting upright and use the small foldable desks in front of them or lying down using the single beds in the corners. Throughout the ride, the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle can entertain them with the in-house media system as they wait to arrive at their destinations and even snack on the on-board food and beverages as part of the vehicle’s service. If they are bringing luggage with them, they can stow them in the storage underneath their bed or seats. Long rides can also be divided with short stopovers, and passengers just need to inform Swift Pod about the break schedules.

the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle can accommodate up to two passengers

Swift Pod can be smart too, as the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle offers suggestions to passengers on where they can take a break to eat or have their stopovers to enjoy the scenery, all the while on the way to their destination. ‘On a final note, our design team is fully aware that the chosen design is very minimalistic,’ adds Peter Stulz, but such a design approach can allow for a relaxing and ambient cabin free from noise and distractions outside.

inside Swift Pod, passengers can travel sitting upright or while in bed

The Xoio founder shares that the name Swift Pod is drawn from how quickly passengers can sleep while on a flight. In fact, the entire concept of the vehicle stems from the idea of traveling long distances while being asleep. ‘Our design team has always been fascinated by night trains and waking up at one’s destination after a decent sleep. We were looking for sustainable ways to travel, and since night trains were struggling to run cost-efficiently, we conceived an idea to fill that gap in the field of individual and autonomous transport,’ says Peter Stulz.

aerial view of the autonomous overnight travel concept vehicle shaped in triangle