Ford has just patented a car which is integrated with a deployable electric motorcycle, proving that comic fiction is slowly becoming a reality. The US Patent office approved this car integrated with the electric motorcycle, resembling something similar to the Batmobile, and the company says is a multimodal transportation apparatus for passenger transportation. Right now the actual vehicle is just an idea on paper, but the idea is a step towards the future of automobiles.
Various sources report that this concept aims to be an efficient way of checking traffic congestion, by providing an alternate transportation option in a single package. Ford filed for the patent in October of 2017.
The patent notes that the motorcycle is “equipped with, and can be autonomously driven, by an electric motor.” It will be fixed securely to the car, and the connection “can be established and released by a user in a reversible manner.” The bike and car can also be used independently of each other.
Of course, a patent doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll actually see the vehicle in its manufacturing or production phase, but it’s still something that excites auto aficionados everywhere.
Reports also suggest that the car could be driven by the bike’s wheel. If that’s the case, expect the concept to be more concentrated on efficiency rather than performance.
This isn’t the first vehicle that seems to resemble something out of a Batman movie. The military has been developing lightweight tanks designed to be both maneuverable and durable, such as the British FV101 Scorpion. Defense contractors at BAE Systems even released plans for a potential military prototype directly inspired by the Batman films. We are already seeing autonomous driving testing in several states, and we can thank Google for providing some incredible breakthroughs in self-driving cars. Adding a motorcycle into one, well that’s some sci-fi meets reality stuff.
