Photo: Andy Kim/Behance
Ever since the electric car has become a thing about a decade ago, people and companies have been racing to find the best solution for a fast, convenient, and largely available charging solution. But even after all these years of trials and tribulations, people still have to spend tens of minutes waiting for the car to recharge, and stations are nowhere near as many as they should be.
More recently, ideas of using other cars as storage mediums for electricity surfaced. Technically, when parked cars can be used to store energy and, when the grid needs it, send it there. No one seems to have thought about a solution that would allow cars to plug into each other and transfer energy in case of need.
So far, at least. In the gallery above is a concept called Publictube created by a designer named Andy Kim. We’re not talking about cars per se, but about modular buses that could in theory link up to one another when they’re running on electron fumes (is there such a thing?) and get their dose to last them until the first public station.
Being a concept from an independent designer, Publictube does not come with any specifications attached. We just get the nicely shaped four-wheeled cylinders in photo form, both on their own, but also linked up to one another as if they’re magnetic balls pulling each other closer and closer.
We can imagine though that for such a solution to work a separate, storage-only battery would be needed on each bus. After all, it’s very unlikely for a bus to be able to donate electricity without putting itself at risk of running dry. And having a spare battery kind of defeats the purpose of having this mating ability.
Or maybe the designer envisioned some of these buses as mobile charging stations, moving around in pre-defined areas and waiting for its electron-hungry peers to show up. And why not charge cars as well, since it’s at it?
Whatever the case may be, the Publictube does seem like an idea worth exploring even further.
So far, at least. In the gallery above is a concept called Publictube created by a designer named Andy Kim. We’re not talking about cars per se, but about modular buses that could in theory link up to one another when they’re running on electron fumes (is there such a thing?) and get their dose to last them until the first public station.
Being a concept from an independent designer, Publictube does not come with any specifications attached. We just get the nicely shaped four-wheeled cylinders in photo form, both on their own, but also linked up to one another as if they’re magnetic balls pulling each other closer and closer.
We can imagine though that for such a solution to work a separate, storage-only battery would be needed on each bus. After all, it’s very unlikely for a bus to be able to donate electricity without putting itself at risk of running dry. And having a spare battery kind of defeats the purpose of having this mating ability.
Or maybe the designer envisioned some of these buses as mobile charging stations, moving around in pre-defined areas and waiting for its electron-hungry peers to show up. And why not charge cars as well, since it’s at it?
Whatever the case may be, the Publictube does seem like an idea worth exploring even further.
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