Choosing between a fuel-efficient commuter car or a big, tough SUV that can haul stuff is not easy. On the one hand, you want to be eco-friendly, but on the other, you don’t want to rent a truck every time you have to move a piece of furniture. The Split&Go concept from designer Kenan Haliloglu would solve the problem by combining the two vehicle types.

The Split&Go starts out as a minivan-type vehicle with seating for eight. Presumably, the seats can be removed to provide a large cargo area. The vehicle is electric with a charging station at the very front. When in the vehicle is in van mode, it runs on two front wheels and two rear wheels…but a secret third set of wheels sits in the middle of the cargo/passenger area.

When you just need to zip around without the huge cargo area, you can detach the cargo area and the vehicle becomes a tiny commuter car. The set of wheels that were previously hidden become the rear wheels for the smaller car. Each wheel contains a separate electric hub motor for superior control.

The Split&Go concept probably isn’t entirely feasible as designed due to the multiple mechanisms that would need to be invented to make it work, but electric cars that convert from large cargo vehicles to small commuter rides are a popular idea for the next generation of cars. The general idea is a great one, and it would be fantastic to see energy-saving cars like this on the road in the near future.

The post Choose How You Cruise: Electric Car Converts to Cargo Van first appeared on Gajitz.

Pop tops, those soft-sided height extenders that give campers a little more room inside VW vans, are almost a necessity among serious VW enthusiasts. But a Welsh company called Overlander Motorhomes is taking that concept several steps further with the DoubleBack. Their creation adds an additional 6.5 feet of usable camping space onto the back end of a T5 Transporter van.

The DoubleBack looks like a regular van when it’s on the move. It’s only when it stops for the night that the modifications become apparent. The simple touch of a button extends the pod in less than 45 seconds, including two stabilizing, self-leveling legs. The back part of the van transforms from a cargo area to a small kitchenette and sleeping area with a double bed. A pop-up top adds some vertical space as well.

While there are plenty of VW enthusiasts out there who would be willing to pay almost any amount for unique VW vehicles, the nearly $87,000 price tag on the DoubleBack will deter all but the wealthiest buyers. This is particularly so since there are plenty of more functional, bigger and less expensive campers on the market. But they, of course, don’t have the benefit of being a transforming Volkswagen.

The post Baby Got Back: Transforming VW Has Sliding Camper Space first appeared on Gajitz.

People who are confined to wheelchairs often have to depend on wheelchair lifts to get into and out of vehicles. Special modifications are then needed to allow the wheelchair users to drive. So far, there haven’t been many attempts to create a wheelchair-specific vehicle. This specialty vehicle designed by LeJuan Richardson is a leap forward in this field.

Richardson’s vision involves making it simple for a wheelchair user to get into and out of a vehicle – and to drive that vehicle. Rather than standard doors and seats, the vehicle would feature doors that swing all the way up to create ample room for chairs to pass through. The interior would be free of standard seats, giving one or more wheelchairs plenty of space to roll into place comfortably.

Ramps would be stored in compartments on the sides of the vehicle, making an appearance only when needed to enter or exit the vehicle. Richardson imagines the ramps in all sorts of positions and configurations in his renderings, making it clear that this concept is very flexible.

The post Specialty Mobility Van Opens Up Just For Wheelchair Users first appeared on Gajitz.

Even in a mid-sized city, delivery vehicles add a significant amount of air pollution to the already-significant emissions of personal vehicles. Even if the world isn’t ready to switch over to electric vehicles for everyone, just getting companies to make their deliveries in electric-powered vans could make a big dent in urban pollution.

The eStar electric van can handle a 4000 pound load and go for up to 100 miles on a single charge. Because it was designed to be electric rather than converted from gasoline, the vehicle is efficient and more effective than converted vehicles.

Designed by Navistar, a green vehicles specialist, the eStar can fully charge in a mere eight hours. That means that if a fleet of vans is plugged in at the end of the workday they can be ready to go again by the time the drivers return to work in the morning. Zero emissions, a top speed of 50 MPH and a small 36-foot turning radius all make the eStar ideal for green inner city deliveries.

The post Hitting the Green Streets: Zero-Emission Urban Delivery Van first appeared on Gajitz.