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![Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. YeZ concept]()
The YeZ (a take on the Mandarin word for 'leaf') may look like something out of the next “Tinkerbell” movie, but the organic two-seater was designed by a real automaker, General Motors’ Chinese partner, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).![Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. YeZ concept front]()
The “negative carbon emissions” vehicle features an all-electric drivetrain that draws the bulk of its power from photoelectric converter mounted on the roof of the vehicle. Like a plant towards the light, the solar crystal films that make up the system can track the movement of the sun to maximize solar energy collection.![Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. YeZ concept top]()
What takes the car to new levels of environmental friendliness is a body comprised of metal-organic framework materials that capture water and carbon dioxide from the surrounding air through adsorption and combine the two through artificial photosynthesis. This not only generates electricity but also “exhales” oxygen back into the atmosphere.![Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. YeZ concept rear]()
Interested in buying one? There’s a short wait, about twenty years. While the technology behind the YeZ is theoretically sound, SAIC admits that it will be 2030 at least before this concept can become reality. Oh well, maybe the grandkids will like it.![GM EN-V Concept Car]()
The latest GM concept car, the EN-V or "Electric Networked-Vehicle," is driven at a launch ceremony held at the Shanghai Pudong Expo in China, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC will showcase the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" launched Wednesday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.![GM EN-V Concept Car]()
Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China Group, speaks at the launch ceremony for the latest GM concept car, the EN-V or "Electric Networked-Vehicle," at the Shanghai Pudong Expo in China, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC will showcase the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.![GM EN-V Concept Car]()
The latest GM concept car, the EN-V or "Electric Networked-Vehicle," is shown at a launch ceremony held at the Shanghai Pudong Expo in China, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC will showcase the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" launched Wednesday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.![GM EN-V Concept Car]()
Kevin Wale, president and managing director of GM China Group, left, takes a ride in the latest GM concept car, the EN-V or "Electric Networked-Vehicle," at a launch ceremony at Shanghai Pudong Expo in China, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC will showcase the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" launched Wednesday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.![GM EN-V Concept Car]()
Visitors take a look at the latest GM concept car, the EN-V or "Electric Networked-Vehicle," at a launch ceremony at the Shanghai Pudong Expo in China, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. General Motors and its Chinese partner SAIC will showcase the "Electric Networked-Vehicle" launched Wednesday in their joint pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which opens May 1 and runs for six months.![plane2]()
If the "invisible plane" Airbus plans ever becomes reality, getting there will be ALL of the fun. The airplane giant unveiled new details of the "cabin of the future" from its concept plane on Tuesday, as well as a new website with cool photos and details galore.![plane3]()
“We had talked previously about a concept plane," Airbus spokesman Clay McConnell told FoxNews.com. "But we haven't really talked in detail about some of the cabin possibilities."![plane4]()
The most eye-opening part: the plane itself will be more or less invisible, featuring not a traditional steel outer shell but a transparent membrane -- more or less see through for passengers -- that changes color based on the time of day.![plane5]()
The plane itself will be chock full of other technology as well, which Airbus claims will be customized to each passenger's needs. No longer divided up by first class, business, and economy, it is divided by the individual needs of the passenger such as relaxing, playing games, and interacting with other passengers or people on the ground.![plane6]()
“Seats would be morphable, so that you could have a work space or a sleeping space or a visiting space, depending on what you wanted," McConnell told FoxNews.com. The “interaction zone” of the plane involves a lot of virtual technology. Passengers will be able to shop in a way like never before, with the clothes projected onto them. This interaction is going to involve interaction between passenger and technology and also passenger to passenger.George Jetson, Eat Your Heart Out: 3 Crazy Future Travel Concepts
They aren't as foldable as the space vehicle that George Jetson carries to work as a briefcase. But these concept vehicles are pretty intriguing nonetheless.
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- George Jetson, Eat Your Heart Out: 3 Crazy Future Travel Concepts
