Pods: The future of vehicle design

Outfitted with cutting-edge components supplied by global manufacturers and admired by enthusiastic crowds at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Rinspeed’s MetroSnap electric vehicle concept model consists of a skateboard chassis carrying an interchangeable modular pod of passengers or commercial conveyances.

And Rinderknecht is quick to point out that should a pod be damaged in wreck, there will be no necessity for body shops to become equipped with new crane systems or other extra heavy duty implements. “They can be swapped/taken off by simply sliding them – no expensive investment needed.”

An upcoming assortment of portable pods with varied designs and contents is limited only by the entrepreneurial business community’s imagination. They can be readily mixed & matched and mounted & exchanged to suit the MetroSnap’s desired purpose for a particular journey or job assignment.

While on display at CES “we had many and extremely interesting discussions with potential companies applying our brand new MetroSnap concept technology,” Rinderknecht reports.

“It is still a concept at this time, and will be developed to serial application very soon,” he adds. “We hope to have the MetroSnap in a final version by the CES 2021.”

“It is designed to show the future of mobility,” says Sarah Carlson, senior manager of communications at Osram, which played a major role in the concept’s creation.

Some of the Osram products equipping the car are already available on the marketplace, such as Osire iRGB for Human Centric Lighting, the LED license plate technology, biometric identification products and biomonitoring infrared LEDs.

For aftermarket parts providers, plus mechanical and collision repairers likely to see MetroSnaps in their bays down the road, “In terms of training, we provide light sources; if the light sources are replaceable, such as Halogen- or HID-based bulbs, then we do provide training -- per request -- to our customers,” Carlson says.

“But if they are not replaceable, like in the case of OEM LED-based systems and the technologies shown in Rinspeed, these are designed into a custom-made lighting system, usually designed by a Tier-1, not us,” she elaborates.

“Serviceability of these systems will depend on the design of the Tier-1 and is usually responsibility of the OEM and/or Tier-1 supplier. Many of these systems are difficult to service and usually replaced as a whole unit,” according to Carlson.

Rinspeed and Osram each had a prominent presence at CES, as in recent years the event has almost become more of a car show than its initial incarnation as a forum for the latest homeowner-centric gadgetry admired by audio buffs and forward-thinking wired hobbyists.

Niche-related automakers like Rinspeed and long-established manufacturing stalwarts such as Osram can introduce their latest inventions side-by-side in a creative setting attracting the world’s top suppliers and buyers.

Important networking can occur on the show floor and in the casinos along The Strip. And the overall event delivers key hints to aftermarket executives as to which technologies they should be preparing to address in the near- to far-future.

Although a timetable for a MetroSnap mass-market release has yet to be announced, the enthusiastic CES reception indicates that “the crucial step towards series production has now been taken,” says Rinderknecht, who is widely revered as an “automotive visionary” by forward-thinkers within the global vehicle-engineering community. He established Rinspeed while still a student at the Technical University of Zürich.

An influential industry biographical account describes Rinderknecht as “an innovator, a revolutionary and a disrupter who is best-known for Rinspeed’s concept vehicles.”

Rinspeed began as an importer of sunroofs from the United States, but the company soon became an automotive pioneer, designing steering wheels with integrated radio controls, sustainable powertrains and driver assistance systems. It is now a think tank that focuses on mobility, sustainability, automotive prototypes and innovation.

With the MetroSnap, 3D printed parts, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and illuminative lighting enhancements are among the numerous features intended to steer motorist acceptance. Widespread self-driving capability is in the offing.

“Our (initial) potential customers will be the delivery service companies such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.,” says Rinderknecht. “Where we will start first, we do not know yet.”

In organizing a vehicle sales strategy, he continues, “We do not think that we will use dealerships, but direct customers in the delivery field.” Recruitment of replacement-parts distributors remains under advisement: “This is an open topic at this time. As we will go step-by-step, these questions will be addressed in due time.”

Endless pod possibilities

“The vehicle is a great example of what sustainable urban mobility can look like,” observes Dr. Ulrich Lages, CEO of Ibeo Automotive Systems, a LiDAR provider (Light Detection and Ranging) headquartered in Hamburg.

“Besides more time for the important things that occur while driving, autonomous electric vehicles can ensure significant relief in metropolitan centers because these vehicles are intelligently networked and navigate autonomously from A to B,” Lages says.

Applying the ibeoNEXT solid-state LiDAR sensor and its associated localization system, he continues, the MetroSnap can capture complex situations in city centers with a wide variety of road users. “As a result, passengers get to their destinations quicker, and customers receive their consignments on time.”

Repairers, in turn, will be challenged to address these new technologies. You may take note, however, that conquering the latest things in transportation engineering has been a longstanding part of the process since horsepower was of the four-footed variety and wearing a saddle.

Along with the arrival of the MetroSnap at CES, Rinspeed’s 26th concept car since the Swiss company’s founding in 1979, the EV additionally presents almost-endless possibilities regarding pod-related developmental prospects. Currently there is a prototypical food truck pod plus a conceptual mobile mailing- and parcel-processing postal unit.

Should elements of a MetroSnap-like direction become mainstream, not only will new-pod ideas take hold, but over time there will be rollovers and other calamities requiring skilled technicians to enter an entirely new category of detailed repairs pertaining to unique-use units such as food trucks, mini mobile supermarkets and other specialized refurbishing tasks.

“Due to the flexible use of different vehicle bodies, these vehicles not only reduce the number of tremendously expensive and systemically short-lived automated vehicles, they also satisfy -- depending on the time of day and current needs – the different transport requirements of people and goods,” Rinderknecht explains.

With “the revolutionary separation of the two vehicle components, Rinspeed confronts the increasingly diverging life cycles of hardware and software,” he adds.

Inspired by containerized aviation cargo hauling, “the future belongs to modular mobility systems. However, the systems also have to make economic sense in order to gain broad acceptance. And that is precisely where Rinspeed is now once more taking a crucial step ahead.”

He reports that the concept, “which fuses together smart city, supply chain and passenger transport,” has been greeted with “very strong interest in the industry even before its actual premiere” at CES.

Orchestrating and optimizing

Because the batteries are split between the skateboard chassis and pod vehicle body, it does not need to be parked for charging, meaning that “the charging process takes place elegantly and without wasted time while cleaning or loading the pod.” A “hot swap” pod switch-out that includes the batteries can be accomplished in seconds.

“The vehicle is ready to go almost as quickly as a racecar after a pit stop,” according to Rinderknecht, who was born in 1955 in Zürich, Switzerland, and started marketing American-made sunroofs in 1977, leading to Rinspeed’s 1979 establishment. He speaks German, English, French and Italian.

Much of the MetroSnap’s design and construction elements were handled by two firms, 4erC and Esoro.

“When it comes to electric mobility, special attention is on the batteries,” Rinderknecht emphasizes.

The heat-conducting Keba-blend/TC plastics system from Barlog Group, based in the German town of Overath, offers optimized battery cooling. A Clean Energy Pack modular and scalable battery system on the skateboard comes from Clean Energy Global in Berlin.

Thermal management specialist Eberspächer controls the temperature in the “Pax Pod” with its heating and cooling solutions by app and provides heated and refrigerated containers for the “Cargo Pod.” An interface/plug-in connector from Harting facilitates the transfer of data, signals and power as soon as the pod/vehicle body is interlocked.

Various partners contribute the digital services for the MetroSnap. MHP focuses on the intelligent mobility ecosystem for automated multimodal transport solutions. SAP provides a digital platform, which orchestrates and optimizes future mobility concepts and transportation through data analysis, machine learning and the IoT.

EY ensures the automated use-based settlement of transactions between platform participants as well as transparency and trust in the supply chains with solutions based on blockchain technology. ESG Mobility focuses on smart connectivity apps, a fleet management system supported by AI, and on the development of the electronics architecture for swappable vehicle components.

“When it comes to easy, fast and secure payment and its processing, Wirecard from Aschheim comes into play,” says Rinderknecht. “Thanks to state-of-the-art palm vein recognition, the access system is considered to provide ultimate security. Zürich Insurance Group is thinking intensively about new business models of the digital future. They include time- and use-dependent models for insurance premiums as well as insurance coverage as a service model.”

Harman is actively helping to shape the transformation of mobility with innovative user experiences. The focus of the advanced digital cockpit solutions is on greater safety and comfort as well as on productivity and entertainment, he says.

Re-imagining the act of driving

The vehicle rolls on 18-inch Borbet wheels with a Y design. Not commonplace on a concept vehicle, the MetroSnap uses a Space Drive drive-by-wire system from the Schaeffler-Paravan Technologie Co. “Street-legal and triple-redundant steering and braking systems guarantee maximum safety,” Rinderknecht notes.

Osram components for lighting and sensing applications are featured in and around the MetroSnap. “We are thrilled to once again partner with Rinspeed on another amazing concept vehicle that re-imagines the act of driving,” reports Wolfgang Lex, an Osram divisional vice president and general manager. “Lighting will increasingly be at the center of the driving experience, and Osram’s technologies will help usher in a new automotive future where cars are more than just a means of transportation, but also a place to relax, rejuvenate and work.”

On the MetroSnap’s exterior, Osram has provided:

• Eviyos, which features thousands of individually addressable pixels that project valuable information and warning symbols on the road for passengers and pedestrians.
• LiDAR technology, which helps orient the vehicle on the road using infrared laser pulses. Once a light pulse hits an object, it is registered by a sensor and the car calculates the distance from the light to the object, then initiates appropriate actions such as braking.
• Intelligent display systems on the front and back of the vehicle, and even on windows, which allow for visual communications with other road users. LED license plates serve as supporting human-machine-interfaces and provide further possibilities for individualized driving experiences.

Inside the MetroSnap, Osram installed:

• 3D facial recognition and palm recognition systems. These technologies ensure that only approved individuals can ride in the vehicle, while also allowing the vehicle to adapt to the personalized settings of those riders.
• Intelligent ambient lighting and human-centric lighting, specifically designed to make the ride more enjoyable and deliver critical safety features. With the advent of autonomous driving, the interior of vehicles will be more than simply a cabin, they will be true living spaces in which we will work and relax. Osram’s ambient lighting solutions, such as the Osire family of iRGB LEDs, will adjust to brightness and temperature preferences of passengers as well as include human-centric lighting features to ensure interior lighting always adapts to their moods. Special reading lights ensure dynamic and optimum illumination of the vehicle’s reading area.
• In-cabin monitoring, which uses VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) technology to scan the cabin for forgotten objects and notifies passengers if something is left behind.

“Their products can and will be used on any other vehicles as well,” says Rinderknecht.

Rinspeed additionally relies on state-of-the-art LED technology from Prettl Lighting & Interior based in Pfullingen, which also makes visual messaging with other road-users possible.

TTTech Auto of Vienna contributed crucial components as their In-Car Compute Platform (ICCP) combines the vehicle functions in a single high-performance control unit, aimed at advancing the transition to software-based vehicles of the future.

Rinderknecht says that the design details devote “great attention to the feel-good appointments of the interior.”

FoamPartner has utilized its expertise in acoustically and thermally effective foams. With Tencel fibers for automotive interiors in the MetroSnap, the Lenzing company of Austria assists with sustainability “while elevating comfort to a new level.”

South Korean manufacturer Kolon Glotech sets visually appealing highlights with traditional Korean Sanggam printing on the center console, the interior trim panels and on the skateboard shrouds. Dutch chemical company Stahl, a specialist in sustainable leather, textiles and various plastic surfaces in automotive interiors, likewise contributes its expertise.

When it comes to innovative textile products, says Rinderknecht, Rinspeed has been relying on its coalition partner Strähle+Hess for years. The knitted fabric used in the vehicle seat was manufactured from recycled PES.

Stratasys, from Rheinmünster, Germany, supplies innovative single-operation 3D printing on various materials for interior and exterior components.

Rapid hardware and material developments

More than 30 interior and exterior parts were customized using both Stratasys’ FDM and PolyJet technologies, including everything from interior consoles, display frames, plug socket fixtures and air vents, right through to the LiDAR screens and license plate on the exterior.

“Using Stratasys 3D printing, we were able to design and manufacture customized parts of the MetroSnap in very little time, enabling us to accelerate the design of the vehicle and overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing during production,” according to Rinderknecht.

“For a project such as this,” he asserts, “where every element was newly designed and tested, and the launch timeframe is short, having an alternative to traditional manufacturing that can offer you flexibility in design and production is essential. It’s fair to say that without access to Stratasys’ technology, the customized manufacture of this vehicle would simply not have been possible.”

During development of the pods, the team leveraged Stratasys FDM additive manufacturing to 3D print bespoke parts that were not only fit-for-function, but importantly had the material properties required for an end-use automotive environment, he says.

One such example is the middle console of the pod, which needs to be durable yet lightweight in order to maximize fuel and speed efficiencies. To achieve a high stiffness-to-weight ratio and structural strength, the part was 3D printed in Nylon12CF material, which combines both carbon-fiber and Nylon 12.

Another example can be seen on the outside of the pod, where Stratasys’ ASA material was used to 3D print sensor covers able to perform like a traditionally manufactured version, specifically offering advanced properties to withstand extreme weather conditions and UV-radiation. The parts were printed in a matter of hours, saving the project valuable production time compared to traditional methods or lengthy post-processing.

For the vehicle’s interior, Stratasys’ newly-launched J850 3D Printer was used, offering Rinspeed unique multi-material, full Pantone-validated color 3D printing capabilities. This was integral in being able to quickly produce ultra-realistic interior parts that closely matched the strict design criteria of the MetroSnap, both in terms of customized ergonomic shapes and color aesthetics.

For example, the J850 was utilized to 3D print gray covers for charging plugs as well as the vehicle’s white dashboard air vents, which enabled the team to color match and manufacture in rapid times – another crucial aspect in accelerating the overall design and development of the vehicle in time for the launch.

“It is great to see how 3D printing can really offer value in this type of production project, significantly cutting lead times and delivering high quality customized parts,” says Dominik Mueller, Stratasys strategic account manager.

“Rapid development in hardware and materials across both of our core technologies have been exemplified during this project, offering the manufacturers the ability to transform the design and development process of vehicles and opening the door to even further customization in production,” he notes.

“MetroSnap perfectly encapsulates what the future of transport can look like,” Mueller concludes, “and we’re proud to have been able to support Rinspeed in bringing its concept to fruition at CES.”