BMW Lovos Concept: Solar Powered Electric Porcupine
Concept car designers have a great job. These vehicles don’t really need to have any basis in reality, they just have to look cool and generate buzz. Sure, when they are practical it is all the better, but sometimes good ideas and good looks don’t always translate into the real world. Take, for example, the BMW Lovos concept, designed by 24 year old Anne Forschner, a design student at Pforzheim University in Germany.
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All those spiky scales you see there are solar panels, which double as an air brake for the porcupine on wheels. When in the down position, they collect solar energy to recharge the vehicles electric drive system. When deployed in the upright position, it would slow the car down (probably with assist from the brakes) as well as impale any nearby pedestrians or wandering deer and blind your grandma at the crosswalk.
As outrageous, outlandish and completely impractical as this design is, there is a certain…appeal to it. Sure it’s pretty much just vaporware, but it really catches my eye. Creativity is a beautiful thing.
Source: AutoblogGreen
If you’re looking at it purely as a piece of artwork, it is kind of interesting.
It sure does look sharp (pun, ha!)
The best thing this concept car has going for it is that it was designed by a student and not an actual employee. Great work for a student BTW! This image is no doubt just a rendering.
I generally dislike real concept cars because they cost ridiculous amounts of money to build and are pretty much useless. The employees involved have to be paid so all that money translates into increased prices for all the production cars we actually buy.
Seldom do we get a concept-to-production that resemble the same vehicle.
Gee, a German designs a car that slices up pedestrians as it turns the corner. Now THERE’S a surprise…
HA!
It is probably not as impractical as it looks. The active panels were probably added by the designer in order to orient the panels when stopped and charging. They probably added the air brake idea on to take advantage of the steerable panels.