New concept "City Car" can fold itself up and park all on its own

The "City Car" has been sketched out by boffins at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It's a shared-use, self-parking little electric pod. It's a big shopping trolley.

Once you've battled through the sea of 4X4s and arrived at your destination, press a button to have the car seek out a parking space all by itself. Parking zones would have to be allocated by the council, as the City Car obediently racks itself up in a line with other CCs.

The battery-powered golf cart-sized pod then folds up to an eighth of its original size for parking/stacking like a line of shopping trolleys, with drivers able to whip out a smart card and take which ever one's at the front of the queue when it's time to (trundle slowly) off home.

The only downer is the shared nature of the idea. Do you really want to use a car full of Ginsters wrappers and empty Minstrels bags left there by the previous user? We're all for cool little electric cars. We're also all for small and futuristic transport solutions. But sharing a car with strangers? Not convinced about that part of it.

(Via Reuters)

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