driverless seymourpowell quarter car concept seats adaptable interior

ride sharing, autonomous driving and electric technologies all combine in the seymourpowell-designed quarter car concept, which features an adaptable interior configuration. as mobility moves driverless, the british design consultancy expects the innovation to enhance the efficiency – and profitability – of ride hailing. their electric vehicle creates a space that is ultimately flexible to the customer – whether they wish to hire a seat or the whole cabin – envisioning a future travel experience that is highly personalized.

all images courtesy of seymourpowell

‘a key issue within the digital ride hailing business model is the inefficiency generated from the number of empty seats during journeys. we have identified this as the ‘uber pool’ problem, where despite cost based incentives, passengers are unwilling to share their journey with other users,‘ comments jonny culkin, designer at seymourpowell. ‘with the onset of autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility, it’s time to start defining the first generation of vehicles designed specifically for mobility services. vehicles like quarter car will lead the way in defining a trend of ‘private shared’ vehicles.‘

with a long rectangular shape, the seymourpowell quarter car concept favors internal room over the traditional aerodynamic design of vehicle nowadays. its cabin consists of four seats that can be separated by retractable partitions placed through two central axles. this segmentation enables passengers to book an individual quarter, or friends, colleagues and couples to book spaces face-to-face, side-by-side or the entire cabin too.

inside the EV, the design is enhanced with advanced digital technologies including transparent glazing displays, gesture interaction capacity and artificial intelligence. this offers service providers – those owning the car – with tools to create a personalized, engaging digital experience. depending on the provider, customers can pay for premium, ad-free journeys or even choose to pay for tailored experiences from the likes of entertainment to education.

‘as well as the in-car experience, we envisioned how quarter car could be adopted across a variety of sectors for different purposes,‘ adds jonny culkin. ‘whether it’s basic A to B ride-hailing transportation; a service which airlines employ as a business class benefit for pick up and drop offs; or even a commercial vehicle utilised by hoteliers to expand its concierge service through bespoke city tours and providing on-the-go, co-working spaces for the modern day flexible worker.‘

as well as in-car technologies, the quarter car concept explores how vehicles can positively impact urban air quality. to start, its electricity is supplied from sustainable sources only. it is then fitted with smart air filtration and early carbon capture technology that removes harmful particles from the air it drives through. this also enables it to collect live air quality data for the larger city ecosystem.