Magnetic car wows web

Image courtesy of Ecofriend (www.ecofriend.org)

A designer has created a concept for a zero-emission, almost entirely silent car that harnesses the power of magnets to help improve the efficiency of the futuristic vehicle's electric motor.

Designer Harsha Vardhan created a small-scale model of the two wheeled car that he is calling the Transporter TW (Twin Wheel).

The single-seater electric vehicle boasts a design reminiscent of old sci-fi movies, featuring an upright pod that the driver enters through the rear, which rests on two wheels, about five times as large as the driver's enclosure.

The wheels are supported by a superconducting fluid that uses a magnetic field to drive the rims along, in a system similar to that used by a maglev train.

Thanks to its eye-catching design, news of the concept has been picked up by a variety of different clean tech and green sites.

However, despite some questioning over the value of sci-fi style concept cars, conventional car manufacturers are investigating the extent to which magnets could be harnessed to enhance the efficiency of electric motors.

As Camille Ricketts observed on the GreenBeat Blog: "A lot of people grumble when they see concept cars like this, thinking they are a waste of time when there’s no way they’ll ever hit the road. But it seems like magnetic technology could be adapted to further electric vehicle innovations that have a chance of making it to market."

Vardhan is not a specialist car designer, but rather creates futuristic designs for vehicles and appliances. Other designs of his have included the " Urban Warrior", which is a bicycle-like transporter, and a land cruiser which he describes as a "fantasy vehicle driven by Twin turbines, inspired by the pod racers in Star Wars". He has also designed an alternative washing machine that doubles as a seat.

However, the Transporter TW is far from the strangest car that a designer has floated in the pursuit of green driving. Researchers at Kyoto University last year unveiled a single seat electric car called the " BamGoo", which is made entirely of the sustainable plant material.