Photo: Guido Ten Brink/SB-Medien
Renault released a short video teaser for its SYMBIOZ Concept ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show debut which featured the rear of the vehicle beyond what looked like the glass wall of a modern house. Little did we know that the French company wasn't teasing just the vehicle, but the building itself as well.
The SYMBIOZ, as the name suggests (look up "symbiosis" if it's still unclear), is a fully interconnected vehicle that can communicate with other cars, with the intelligent road infrastructure, and with the owner's home. What exactly do our cars and our houses have to say to each other? You'll have to ask Renault about that.
Here's Groupe Renault Executive Vice President and Chief Competitive Officer Thierry Bolloré trying to explain: “The way we use our cars is changing. Already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another. Full of technology, it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people, and objects around them. Looking to 2030 we imagine new scenarios with more efficient energy use, connectivity and autonomous driving scenarios that will improve how we live and travel.”
One way the car and house can work together is by sharing the energy. The SYMBIOZ can act as an energy storage device in case of a blackout, but it can also provide the necessary electrons for every household activity during peak hours, saving costs.
Another real estate connection for the concept imagined by its makers is SYMBIOZ's ability to become "an additional, modular room" once parked inside the garage. That sounds ridiculous at first, but why wouldn't you take your laptop there when you have something to do and want to get away from the kids for a short while?
To make the interior feel less like a car, the concept's steering wheel tucks away underneath the dashboard and out of view, while the two front seats swivel 180 degrees to face the other two. A folding coffee table sits in between making the SYMBIOZ as much of a social space as a working one. Of course, all these things can be done on the move as well, since the vehicle offers full Level 5 autonomy. Just remember you are not flying and don't leave the coffee mug on the table for too long, or you'll be squeezing it out of the carpets next.
Renault says it would get a test car that fulfills many of SYMBIOZ's promises on the road soon, marking the company's commitment to the development and implementation of both electric mobility and self-driving technology.
Here's Groupe Renault Executive Vice President and Chief Competitive Officer Thierry Bolloré trying to explain: “The way we use our cars is changing. Already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another. Full of technology, it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people, and objects around them. Looking to 2030 we imagine new scenarios with more efficient energy use, connectivity and autonomous driving scenarios that will improve how we live and travel.”
One way the car and house can work together is by sharing the energy. The SYMBIOZ can act as an energy storage device in case of a blackout, but it can also provide the necessary electrons for every household activity during peak hours, saving costs.
Another real estate connection for the concept imagined by its makers is SYMBIOZ's ability to become "an additional, modular room" once parked inside the garage. That sounds ridiculous at first, but why wouldn't you take your laptop there when you have something to do and want to get away from the kids for a short while?
To make the interior feel less like a car, the concept's steering wheel tucks away underneath the dashboard and out of view, while the two front seats swivel 180 degrees to face the other two. A folding coffee table sits in between making the SYMBIOZ as much of a social space as a working one. Of course, all these things can be done on the move as well, since the vehicle offers full Level 5 autonomy. Just remember you are not flying and don't leave the coffee mug on the table for too long, or you'll be squeezing it out of the carpets next.
Renault says it would get a test car that fulfills many of SYMBIOZ's promises on the road soon, marking the company's commitment to the development and implementation of both electric mobility and self-driving technology.
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