The pollution-eating car was shown at the Goodwood Festival
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The pollution-eating car was shown at the Goodwood Festival |
A car designed to emit air pollution as it drives has been shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed .
Created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick , the Aero is expected to go into production in China in 2023 , with plans to make ten million of them.
RadicalDesign aims not only to solve the problem of pollution , but also to help solve the " space crisis " .
The pollution-eating car was shown at the Goodwood Festival
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Critics were n't convinced it could ever be more than a concept car .
Despite designing London's new version of the iconic Routemaster bus , Mr Heatherwick is better known for architectural projects such as Google's headquarters in California and London .
He told the BBC that he had never designed a car before , in short he was interested .
image captionThomas Heatherwick hopes people will see the car as an extension of their home
" When I was growing up the design values were expressed through cars , it came out in the 1980s with [ Ford ] Sierra Hawk , [ Fiat ] Panda , some big concept cars .
" When we approached IM Motors in China , we said we 're not car designers and they said ' that 's why we want you ' . "
The car - which was first unveiled at the Shanghai Car Show in April - has a glass roof , and the interior is designed to look like a room , with adjustable chairs that can be converted into beds , and a central table designed for meetings or meals . .
The steering wheel is hidden in the dashboard and the exterior is divided into pieces , which are several in series .
" Carmakers are falling over themselves to make electric cars , but a new electric car is no different , " says Mr Heatherwick .
As well as deflecting the flow of air over the car on the isolated exterior , the front grille will be fitted with an air filter that " will be made every year to collect a tennis ball ", he told the BBC .
" It does n't sound like much , but think of tennis balls in your lungs , contributing to cleaning the air , and adding millions of vehicles in China alone . "
He said , this technology The included " next level of development " is said to be autonomous for this and is planned to have both driver - controlled modes .
Cardiff Business School Automotive Peter Wells , professor of business and sustainability at the Center for Industrial Research , told the BBC : " I do n't see how this car can make any significant contribution to solving the many problems associated with car ownership and use .
" This car 's contribution to cleaning the air in our polluted urban centers will be so small as to be impossible to measure .
" If you compare the volume of air with the total volume of air likely to pass through the car 's filtration system , this becomes immediately apparent . "
image captionThe Aero's interior is more like a room than a car
New house ?
The second big idea behind the design of the car is as an alternative space for the owners to use .
" Covid has raised a space crisis . Most of us are living in flats and houses and need more space , an office or study , " said Mr Heatherwick .
The world's one billion cars , which are used for about 10% of the time , have the potential to become " valuable real estate , " he said.
He was inspired by first class airlines , which are used for " sleeping , eating , entertaining and working " .
" The car is communal for the time it 's not driving becomes the place . "
The car will cost around $ 40,000 - which Mr Heatherwick described as " not crazy luxury " . _
image captionCritics question whether it could ever be built in its current design _
Professor Wells doubts it will ever be designed in its current form .
"The car industry has a long history of creating excitement around concept cars , but the transition to production – if it happens – usually means the exciting features are replaced by something more involved , manufacturable , practical to use and expensive . "
" It 's not a fantasy ," Mr Heatherwick said. "The whole idea was for it not to be a concept car , which is why we 're working with a manufacturer , and we 're all focused on ideas that can happen . "
