Photo: Meelis Lillemets
Designed with storage in mind, utility cargo vehicles offer a lot of space for carrying stuff around. Functionality is actually the main concern when designing this kind of vehicle, with aesthetics playing a much more insignificant role. Take a look at this cargo vehicle idea coming from Estonian automotive designer Meelis Lillemets.
Dubbed the Cargobox - a quite fitting name if you ask us - the boxy thing you see here is a small electric utility vehicle designed to operate in urban areas. With an idiosyncratic aesthetic characterized by minimalism and precision, with clean, straight lines, the Cargobox looks like a vehicle straight out of Minecraft.
While most designers nowadays struggle to come up with hyper-aerodynamic vehicles with curved edges and round surfaces to reduce wind resistance and drag, Lillemets has gone the opposite direction and envisioned one that is as boxy as they get. The designer explained that they chose this form factor because Cargobox is designed to be an urban-specific vehicle, so they mainly focused on functionality with little concern for aerodynamics.
“Due to Cargobox only operating up to urban speeds, this study explores the extreme possibilities of design with little considerations for aerodynamics and lots of considerations for simplicity, cost, practicality, modularity,” Meelis Lillemets explained.
And, indeed, simplicity might just be the perfect word to describe the Cargobox. It truly looks like a box on wheels, and some comments online laugh at its almost cuboidal shape. But let’s not forget that Tesla Cybertruck’s triangular profile was also mocked when it was initially revealed and likened to a gabled roof on wheels. The Cargobox’s crisp lines may appear unnatural because we’ve been accustomed to seeing aerodynamic bodies in today’s cars, but perhaps this is the natural progression in form.
As the designer points out, being a utility vehicle that will move cargo within urban areas means the Cargobox will have to stick to local speed limits, so it doesn’t necessarily have to worry about speed and drag. What it does focus on is optimized use of the available interior and cargo space to fulfill its cargo transport mission.
Its boxy form makes it perfect for cargo-carrying operations. Besides the spacious cabin, which accommodates the driver and one passenger, the pickup truck features a generous storage bed at the back. As suggested by the renders, the vehicle operates on an electric skateboard, but there are no details regarding the battery pack, range, or speed.
This is the first rendering by the freelance Estonian designer we are covering, but their website reveals they have also envisioned an electric Lancia Stratos, a Formula E race car, and even a Tesla GT, so we’re going to keep an eye out for their future projects to share them with you.
While most designers nowadays struggle to come up with hyper-aerodynamic vehicles with curved edges and round surfaces to reduce wind resistance and drag, Lillemets has gone the opposite direction and envisioned one that is as boxy as they get. The designer explained that they chose this form factor because Cargobox is designed to be an urban-specific vehicle, so they mainly focused on functionality with little concern for aerodynamics.
“Due to Cargobox only operating up to urban speeds, this study explores the extreme possibilities of design with little considerations for aerodynamics and lots of considerations for simplicity, cost, practicality, modularity,” Meelis Lillemets explained.
And, indeed, simplicity might just be the perfect word to describe the Cargobox. It truly looks like a box on wheels, and some comments online laugh at its almost cuboidal shape. But let’s not forget that Tesla Cybertruck’s triangular profile was also mocked when it was initially revealed and likened to a gabled roof on wheels. The Cargobox’s crisp lines may appear unnatural because we’ve been accustomed to seeing aerodynamic bodies in today’s cars, but perhaps this is the natural progression in form.
As the designer points out, being a utility vehicle that will move cargo within urban areas means the Cargobox will have to stick to local speed limits, so it doesn’t necessarily have to worry about speed and drag. What it does focus on is optimized use of the available interior and cargo space to fulfill its cargo transport mission.
Its boxy form makes it perfect for cargo-carrying operations. Besides the spacious cabin, which accommodates the driver and one passenger, the pickup truck features a generous storage bed at the back. As suggested by the renders, the vehicle operates on an electric skateboard, but there are no details regarding the battery pack, range, or speed.
This is the first rendering by the freelance Estonian designer we are covering, but their website reveals they have also envisioned an electric Lancia Stratos, a Formula E race car, and even a Tesla GT, so we’re going to keep an eye out for their future projects to share them with you.
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