Citroën Imagines ‘Skate’ Rideshare With 360º Spherical Tires & Swappable ’Pods’
Image via Citroën
Citroën is out to redefine the concept of urban mobility, and it’s doing that through The Urban Collectif, a partnership with Accor and JCDecaux. Born of this is the automobile manufacturer’s latest concept: ‘Skate’.
It is, essentially, what the name suggests. While it’s meant to be a ridesharing platform and not quite a skateboard, it certainly looks like one, or maybe a hoverboard, which means that past renderings of the “futuristic 21st century” might be becoming somewhat true.
The ‘Skate’ comes as part of the Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision, which envisions a fleet of these taking to the road. The company claims that implementing these will reduce city congestion.
Image via Citroën
This is an electric “mobility platform” that comes with swappable ‘Pods’ to fit commuters’ needs, and entirely spherical tires that flank all four corners of the vehicle.
Its wheels, termed the ‘Eagle 360‘ concept, were debuted by Goodyear at the Geneva International Show in 2016. They’ve been tweaked slightly to adapt to the custom design the ‘Skate’ requires, but retain the same features as the prototype, making it stand out from the other tires on the market.
Besides their jarringly different aesthetics, the wheels offer a maintenance-free experience. Unlike others, these tires are non-pneumatic, which does away with the need for pressure monitoring and the risk of running into a puncture.
And because they’re spheres, this gives them four times the tread surface of a regular tire, meaning that they’d take four times longer to wear out.
Concept tires like the ‘Eagle 360’ are, according to Hans Vrijsen, Goodyear’s managing director of Original Equipment, “the basis” for the company to “engage with future mobility challenges and develop new, groundbreaking products and services.”
Meanwhile, the Pods are meant to be totally adaptable depending on the travel experience that is required at the time. Reportedly, they only take 10 seconds to swap out. Examples are shown by Accor of a Sofitel-style Pod for luxurious traveling, or a Pullman Power Fitness Pod that places a mini gym on wheels, as shown above.
Image via Citroën
“At Citroën, we examine medium and long-term trends to anticipate consumer expectations and needs. We believe that this new concept can redefine the framework of urban mobility: shared, electric and autonomous,” shares Vincent Cobée, Citroën Global CEO.
Tomorrow's mobility is not just about moving around, it's also about living an experience. Get on board the Citroën Skate and one of its Pods, our autonomous mobility concept, in collaboration with @Accor and @JCDecauxGlobal #TheUrbanCollëctif pic.twitter.com/vL9slBmB0N
— Citroën (@Citroen) September 29, 2021
[via autoevolution, images via Citroën]
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