Ford designed a car that spits out a motorcycle
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Ford is going all-in on SUVs in the U.S., and now it’s figured out a way to give them even more utility.
A recently-published patent application describes a design for a passenger car with a motorcycle built into it.
The “multimodal transportation apparatus” features an electric motorcycle that enters the car through a mandible-like space between the front wheels, which are powered by electric hub motors and don’t require an axle between them.
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Drawings accompanying the application show the vehicle with its hood open and the motorcycle parked between the front seats, where its seat and touchscreen-equipped instrument panel double as the center console and center stack of the car.
The description says this would allow a driver to park the car outside of a crowded city center and then use the motorcycle to reach a final destination within it.
It’s a wild idea that likely won’t ever see the light of day, but does seem closer to reality than the round, autonomous car depicted in another Ford patent application that surfaced a few weeks ago.
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