Tag Archives: truck

Move over Cybertruck – Thundertruck with bat wing solar awnings is the Batmobile avatar for all off-road adventures

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The ultra-futuristic EV seems like an evolved Batmobile RC toy car transformed magically into the real-world scaled-up version. Thundertruck takes things to the next level with its roof-mounted bat wing solar awning which adds to the battery power reserve and acts as potent shade in extreme heat when parked for camping, fishing, or BBQing.

All automotive fanatics are waiting for the Cybertruck to finally roll out of the production lines and on the roads. While that has been pushed back to sometime in 2022, the next generation multi-utility truck with the performance of a sports car is still seeming like a distant dream. This is the perfect opportunity for an electric MUV to give the vision of the ultimate performance truck-wide wings. Thundertruck is the perfect example of that, as it is designed for individuals who preferer living and driving outside the proverbial lines!

Designed by Wolfgang IP, the sharp-looking multi-purpose EV takes on the current automotive design principles to bring superior on and off-road performance to the fore. According to them, Thundertruck is crafted for the outdoor enthusiasts and young crowd who don’t like living within the boundaries and following the herd. The extra edgy truck (so sharp even the Cybertruck seems blunt) is inspired by the Australian Outback and honed by state-of-the-art technology adapting to any terrain and adventure coming its way. It goes from 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds flat, boasting its high-performance electric motor capabilities. The advanced driver assistance systems ensure safety on dangerous trails as the scope of driving errors is always there.

The spacious cargo bed can be accessed via steps and extendable loading ramps enable loading of 2 or 4 wheel bikes. The integrated camping tent expands over the main tray, and it raises by PV trunk lid cover. There’s even a multi-purpose pull-out side draw storage unit with a slide-out kitchen or refrigerator. A matching drone flies off the roof of the vehicle to perform scouting or reiki to gauge the condition of roads ahead in unknown territory. What more can you ask from a swanky-looking MUV like this one?

Even better, the 180 kWh battery-equipped 4×4 (800 HP) can be converted into a 210 kWh battery-powered 6×6 (940 HP) multi-purpose EV monster honing a combined driving range of 560 miles and additional 2WD traction. Both the normal and 6×6 versions have massive ground clearance of 14.5 inches, an approach angle of 48 degrees, and a departure angle of 82 degrees. There’s no word yet when this truck in pure matte black will set the roads on fire, but if does anytime next year, Tesla will have a major headache on their hands!

Designer: Wolfgang

The post Move over Cybertruck – Thundertruck with bat wing solar awnings is the Batmobile avatar for all off-road adventures first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Level 5 autonomy electric semi-truck is what Tesla Semi could have looked like!

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A Level 5 autonomy electric truck with a peculiar trailer design highlighted by the humungous set of sole rear wheels which provide superior grip on the road at high speeds. Of course, there are some shortcomings of this ideation but I love the overall visual appeal.

Electric semi-trucks developed by companies like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Daimler, Nikola Motors, Ford, and Tesla are paving way for the future of freight trucking across the globe. Some of them even have autonomous mobility dreams, and eventually, we’ll see such semi-trucks speeding past us on the freeway. Joining in on the race to develop fully autonomous semi-trucks is this concept design by Roman Dolzhenko in collaboration with industrial designer Dmitry Voronezhtsev.

The electric tractor christened ATLANTIS is going to have Level 5 autonomy with no compartment for the driver or any human intervention. This will be highly useful in hauling time-sensitive cargo to pre-defined destinations, completely taking the human intervention out of the equation. The electric truck has a very out-of-the-box design which looks nothing like we’ve seen so far. Even the Volvo Vera, Tesla Semi, or the Ford F-Vision look a tad ordinary in comparison to this one. Something relatable to this ultra-futuristic design is the conceptual Polestar 10-wheeler modular trailer or the Tesla Autonomous E-Rig semi concept design.

The reason, this fully autonomous electric semi has a huge rig with even bigger wheels right on the rear. In fact, they are as big as the trailer. On the road, these wheels move independently to the tractor pulling it up ahead, which also has a set of independently moving wheels to maneuver the turns and tight spaces for practicality. The ride height of the trailer is not high enough for it to tread the uneven terrains and the sole set of big wheels poses another challenge for flexibility on banked roads or swapping it with another set of wheels in case the existing ones go rouge. That’s clear indicative, the ATLANTIS is envisioned for freeways just like the Road Trains operational in Australia!

Designer: Roman Dolzhenko and Dmitry Voronezhtsev

The post This Level 5 autonomy electric semi-truck is what Tesla Semi could have looked like! first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Canoo Anyroad creates a unique hybrid between a city car, sports-recreational vehicle, and a modern pickup truck

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Calling the Anyroad a traditional pickup truck wouldn’t really be accurate, given its proportions and its designs, but it seems like the most sensible thing to call it. What IS the Canoo Anyroad, though? Well, it’s got elements of a city car, a pickup, a recreational vehicle, and an ATV. In short, it’s the perfect vehicle for living in a city apartment, a suburban home, or even the great outdoors.

The Canoo Anyroad’s real purpose lies in its name. Of course, one could just throw the word Truck into the name and call it a day, but the Anyroad really sort of blurs the lines between the different car categories. It comes with an incredibly minimalist design (in signature Canoo style) and even boasts of those iconic + shaped headlights and taillights (there’s a clever detail within them too that I’ll talk about later). The automobile exists in two parts (as visible in the image below) that separate into a car on the front, and a collapsible tent at the back. The car runs independently and comes with a bed that’s much shorter than the ones found on traditional pickup trucks. However, plug the folding tent-unit in and the Canoo Anyroad is complete; ready to be driven anywhere for a weekend getaway.

The Anyroad’s design balances the need to be in the outdoors along with the need to have a normal car that can still be driven around in the city. For the latter, the tent unit can be unplugged, while the two-seater truck’s sufficiently modern aesthetic makes it look like quite a natural on the city streets.

The tent-half can be set up either as a mobile shelter attached to the back of the car, or as a separate detached entity, made stable thanks to a fold-out stand. The tent itself is pretty easy to set up, as it expands almost like a bellow would to provide ample space for two people. There’s a small ladder to help people climb up into the shelter, and a tabletop surface on the opposite side, for storing your camping equipment or acting as a table for your meals. Storage panels on either side of the tent offer extra space to stash items like your luggage, medical kits, and other outdoor paraphernalia.

The headlight remains the Canoo Anyroad’s most impressive detail. While it serves its original purpose – of being a road-illuminating light for the car (and its branding element), the Anyroad’s headlights have a secondary purpose too. They detach from the car’s front, becoming portable lights that can then be used as torches/flashlights, or even floor lamps, thanks to a built-in tripod that lets the light stand erect. Conceptually, it’s an incredibly interesting concept, and just goes to show how committed the Anyroad is towards being the ideal vehicle for outdoor travel and recreational camping.

The Anyroad is the brainchild of automotive designer Jerrick Chow. Its existence is summed up by two words “Tranquility Always”, as it aims at providing a tranquil oasis, or a getaway from the chaos of a city’s bustling life. Canoo’s current line-up features a lifestyle vehicle, a pickup truck, and a delivery van. All of them cater to either city life, or outdoor off-road living, but not both. The Anyroad concept aims at bridging that gap, while utilizing Canoo’s advanced electric platform to power the vehicle.

Designer: Jerrick Chow

The Canoo Anyroad is a fan-made concept and has no relation to the Canoo brand. The use of the Canoo name and its brand elements are purely for representational purposes.

This autonomous Tesla HGV brings ultra-futurism to Elon’s semi dreams

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A  Tesla semi-truck with a very Tesla-worthy aesthetics highlighted by the contoured yet sharp design language that in a way reminds me of the iPhone 12!

Tesla’s visionary Semi all-electric truck powered by four independent motors on the rear is scheduled for production in 2022. The semi is touted to be the safest, most comfortable truck with an acceleration of 0-60 mph in just 20 seconds and a range of 300-500 miles. While the prototype version looks absolutely badass, how the final version will look is anybody’s guess.

Industrial and transport designer Jeremy Dodd takes the vision of the Tesla heavy goods vehicle to the next level with the Tesla Autonomous E-Rig semi. This ultra-futuristic Tesla concept identifies the basic problem with HGVs that have an average speed of 50 mph, and have to drive for virtually 9 hours of the day, 5 days a week. This creates an environmental impact, and a pure, purposeful and functional method of hauling heavy goods is the need of the hour. This Autonomous trailer in a way is destined to solve this with even more to make it highly useful.

The HGV has an extendable extension to adapt to the needs of the client, the geographic location, and the nature of the cargo to be hauled. The driving cockpit’s top and the bay of the trailer are solar powered to charge the battery reserve on the go. Further, the regenerative braking system recycles energy from the wheels to the turbines to add to the power reserve.

Tesla Autonomous E-Rig is designed keeping in mind the future of transportation – as the road space is going to get even more cramped. That’s why it has a zero turning radius on all the wheels to make sharp turns or maneuver around in tight spaces without much hassle. There’s just one shortcoming though, it can only haul cargo on top of the trailer, and adding the option to have an enclosed rig will increase its utility ten folds!

Designer: Jeremy Dodd

This 100% Hydrogen-powered autonomous road truck brings zero-emission transportation to freeways!

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While the world is stressing over the carbon emissions of fuel-powered vehicles, the freight trucking industry remains neglected compared to two and four-wheelers. Renowned French manufacturer Gaussin known for its all-electric shifters is set to revolutionize the trucking industry with its upcoming skateboard platform for class 8 tractors and straight trucks ranging from 18 tons to 44 tons. The intelligent drive system will come in two different versions promising sustainable cruising minus the harmful emissions. The hydrogen-powered setup for long-distance transportation requirements or the electric-powered design for shorter distance transportation is the two different versions.

This versatile system means that truckers can go 500 miles on a single charge with the hydrogen-powered configuration and make a quick pit stop of 20 minutes when the power is about to run out. The all-electric configuration will offer a range of 180 miles on a single charge, with the option to swap the battery instantly. The new chassis is ultra-lightweight, with it being 400 kg lighter than the traditional chassis currently on the freight trucks. Depending on the client’s needs, the platform comes in varied lengths, height, and axle configurations to cater to the demands of the market. It will even have the option for autonomous driving, courtesy of the open interface.

According to CEO Christophe Gaussin, “With this hydrogen and electric skateboard, a world premiere, Gaussin reaffirms its pioneering role in the ecological transition and the development of low-carbon mobility solutions.” Given the future-forward motives driven by clean transportation initiatives of the company, another French company has already asked Gaussin to develop three different types of hydrogen-powered lorries for upcycling excavated soil from urban sites. These include 10×4 70-ton tipper vehicles (for on-site transport) operational for 10 hours on a single charge, cabin-less purported self-driving 10×4 tipper capable of hauling 25 percent more payload, and 4×2 44-ton electric-powered tractors for road transport. Gaussin said on its official website, “This first contract for Gaussin’s modular hydrogen and electric ‘skateboard’ and its version for public works carriers and tractors comes less than a month after the official presentation of this revolutionary vehicle.” The first batch of trucks is expected to arrive in 2022, and we look forward to seeing them in motion.

Designer: Gaussin





Cybertruck-inspired Rover concept was designed to explore the terrain on Mars

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The Pandemax Concept by Radek Štěpán is unconventional, to say the least. It has a distinct Star Wars-inspired aesthetic and those all-terrain tires and that high ground clearance really implies the car could easily work on the roughest of alien terrain. Designed to be a sort of explorer vehicle or manned rover, the Pandemax comes with two seats that are at the absolute front of the vehicle, with a panoramic windshield that lets the explorers get a full view of the terrain and landscape ahead of them. Sure, there are a few questions that come to mind too, especially regarding driver safety and also the center-of-gravity, given that the drivers are sitting outside the car’s wheelbase. However, it’s a neat aesthetic exploration of an interplanetary vehicle if you ask us. I’m especially loving the Cybertruck vibe, and I’m sure the driver gets a hell of a view! Just hope that windshield glass is sturdier than the Cybertruck’s…

A look at the car’s unusual placement of the cockpit. The passenger cabin overhangs off the front, giving the car a distinctly different aesthetic altogether. I guess we could just chalk it up to conceptual creative freedom. As the cockpit door opens upwards, the base descends downwards too, giving you a stepping surface as you climb into the vehicle. When the cockpit door and floor finally close together, you’re left with a car that has surprisingly large ground clearance, making it perfect for rough terrain.

The headlights and taillights on the Pandemax are rather ‘Cybertruckian’ too, with the LED strip design present on the front and back, as well as the top. Its boot at the back has a shutter-style cover too, almost perfectly mimicking the one found on Tesla’s Cybertruck.

Designer: Radek Štěpán

Check out more designs by Radek Štěpán here

Lordstown Motors’ electric race truck is (mostly) ready for off-roading

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Lordstown Motors wants to prove its Endurance electric truck is ready for the wilderness through a familiar strategy: it's entering a prominent race. Autoblog reports that Lordstown has unveiled a race-ready version of its Endurance Beta truck th...

This self-driving forklift shows how logistics can be safer and more efficient in the future

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Call it the price of efficiency or one of the most obvious design flaws, forklifts are among one of the leading causes of injuries at logistical centers and industrial facilities. The flaw, as it is, is quite simple. The payload sits in front of the driver, obscuring their view and potentially opening them up to collisions. There’s the issue of equilibrium too, with the fact that the payload massively shifts the center of gravity outside the forklift’s base, causing it to sometimes tip over, or sideways when the vehicle makes a quick turn.

As far as autonomous vehicles go, the technology would benefit forklifts the most – as being able to detect obstacles and drive at fixed speeds on fixed paths is something a machine can be trained to do better than a human. Meet the AFL, a forklift that puts algorithms to use by making a load-lifting truck that’s safer and more efficient. For starters, it redesigns the basic framework of a forklift truck by shifting the payload to the center of the vehicle to make it more stable. Its mechanism works in an unusual way, lifting the cargo by the front (as is done traditionally) before shifting it to the center.

The absence of a human driving the truck means the cargo doesn’t need to be lifted above eye-level, and the AFL’s slew of sensors can operate perfectly, sensing in 360° for any obstacle. Moreover, multiple AFL trucks can communicate with each other (like a hive-mind) to create an effective and efficient route map that allows vehicles to move around without colliding into each other. If implemented well, the AFL can run entirely without human intervention, which means better performance, longer work-hours, and lesser accidents!

Designer: DongJun Kim

Daimler and Volvo team up to make fuel cells for trucks and generators

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Daimler and Volvo both believe hydrogen fuel cells have a place alongside pure electric power, and they’re teaming up to ensure that happens. They’re forming a joint venture to develop and sell fuel cell systems. The focus is on heavy-duty trucks (su...