Smart revealed its new Vision EQ concept Fortwo
ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show public debut. The tiny concept shows how
Daimler envisions the future of urban mobility and the local public transport:
a fully autonomous all-electric vehicle that’s always connected to provide its
services when needed.
This is also the first Smart vehicle that falls under
the EQ brand. Daimler is planning to launch more than ten electric vehicles by
2022, starting from a Smart model and ranging up to a large SUV.
The Smart Vision EQ Fortwo is built with car sharing
in mind; inside there are no controls, with the vehicle’s functions being
controlled by the user’s mobile device or voice input. Instead of a traditional
dashboard, there is a 24-inch screen surrounded by a rose-gold frame while the
outer edges feature two smaller 4-inch displays.
The exterior features a Black Panel grille which can
be used as a means to communicate with other road users, displaying for example
information for pedestrians crossing the road. The doors are coated with a film
than can be activated on demand as well. Instead of traditional headlights and
taillights, the Vision EQ Fortwo uses LED displays that can take an eye-like
shape up front and portray useful information on the rear.
The electric powertrain is being fed by a 30kWh
battery pack. When the car is not in use, it drives itself to a charging
station for a fill up.
