Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports
Kumho creates eco-friendly "Epoch" race concept
Click images to enlarge
Is the future of racing one populated with bamboo-framed cars with rubber components and magnetic propulsion? Well, according to Kumho Tire, yes. The design study seen here is called the Epoch, and it is the "blue sky" concept brainchild of Kumho designer Rob Dolton.
Epoch is his take on what an eco-friendly racer might look like and consist of, hence the frame made of grown bamboo (no carbon emissions), bodywork and interior made of recycled tire rubber (hey, it is a tire company's concept after all). It's driven by hub-mounted maglev units at each wheel, and the tire shape and tread patterns can be modified at will by sending electrical currents through the rubber. Very sci-fi. Very interesting. We will say this, though: that electro-magic tire technology sure would be handy to have when winter comes around. Snow tires at the touch of a button works for us! Read Kumho's press release after the jump.[Source: Kumho]
Gallery: Kumho Epoch Design Study
PRESS RELEASE:
KUMHO UNVEILS 'EPOCH' – THE BLUE SKY CAR WITH BRIGHT GREEN CREDENTIALS
Forward thinking tyre manufacturer Kumho is paving the way for the world's first truly eco-friendly racing car. Inspired by the company's success in this year's Le Mans 24 hour race, it decided to employ its unique conceptual abilities to show exactly what an environmentally friendly Le Mans car of the future could look like. The result is the Epoch!
Epoch by name and nature, Kumho's revolutionary single-seater simply bristles with futuristic technology and green credentials. Its chassis is grown from bamboo, thereby providing an immediate carbon offset, while its lightweight body panels are formed from recycled tyre tread rubber.
Power comes from Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) units integral to the four-wheel hubs. Proven in the railway industry, this advanced electromagnetic technology has the advantage of zero friction as well as maximum torque at zero rpm.
As you'd expect from one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers, the Epoch also boasts revolutionary tyre technology. Known as EAP (Electro Active Polymer), it allows the tread and even the shape of the tyres to be fundamentally altered simply by passing an electric current through the rubber. This is achieved via the positioning of magnets on the hubs and within the wheel rims. It effectively allows the characteristics of the tyre to be altered at will, to suit different tastes and conditions.
Even the car's interior benefits from an example of Kumho's innovative tyre technology, being clad with the type of scented 'aroma' rubber already available for the tyres of various luxury saloons and compact SUVs.
Epoch is the work of Kumho's in-house designer, Rob Dolton. The only qualified vehicle designer employed within the world's tyre industry, he is retained by Kumho's European Technical Centre in Birmingham specifically to explore future technologies for road and track vehicles, and the tyres they run on. A graduate of the internationally renowned Automotive Design Department of Coventry University, he worked for Fiat Advanced Design in Turin before joining Kumho in 2005.
Enthusing about his brainchild Rob Dolton said, "While delighted at winning the LMP2 class at Le Mans this year, we accept that environmental pressures will not allow motorsport to carry on in its current form indefinitely. However, rather than viewing it as an increasingly antisocial pastime, we regard it as a perfect platform for developing green technology solutions. Epoch is an example of just how exciting the future could be."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Will 10:43AM (10/23/2007)
Thank goodness they've used scented rubber for the interior elements. The thought of sitting in a cocoon of standard tire rubber smell for an extended period of time is pretty unpleasent.
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nissanfreak87 10:43AM (10/23/2007)
pretty interesting concept, I'm interested in how the electro-magnets are powered, but the aesthetic of the vehicle is very nice! I'd rock it for sure.
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Alex 11:36AM (10/23/2007)
i'm guess the electro-magnets would work like those on a mag-lev train. the magnets on the wheel would alternate between positive and negative. the drive hub would have propulsion coils which pull the part of the wheel in front of it towards the coils using the magnets' opposite polar attractions and push it away using the magnets similar polar repulsion.
wikipedia has more and probably explains it better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev_train
very cool concept and that propulsion could be used to decerate just as easily.
nissanfreak87 1:15PM (10/23/2007)
Well, an electro magnet requires electricity, I was just wondering where that would come from in the car.
Mag-Levs use electricity, but are efficient because they only turn on small portions of the rail at a time. This car needs a power source, not just magnets.
bill 11:48AM (10/23/2007)
There is no such thing as eco-friendly racing unless it involves coasting downhill. Everyone is busting their proverbial humps trying to present an eco-friendly face to the world while not actually doing a lot to "save" the environment.
Personally, most of the global warming hysteria is just that - hysteria. Unfortunately I will not live long enough for the truth to be known about the whole global warming episode and its place in history.
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olddavid 11:50AM (10/23/2007)
We need the dreamers, especially now. I'm sure Kettering heard that crank starters were just fine, too.
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Nellydesign 1:26PM (10/23/2007)
Well, good thing it has a square steering wheel or I'd lose all faith in car designers. Oh and the rubber that transmits electricity too. I know when I'm wracking my brains looking for a good conductor of electricity, I always look to RUBBER first.
Does it run on baby smiles?
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nissanfreak87 1:43PM (10/23/2007)
There are rubbers that serve as conductors, believe it or not.
Concepts are just that, concepts, and this is a concept from a tire company, so don't think everything is going to be production ready
Nellydesign 2:05PM (10/23/2007)
OK the conductive rubber I can buy. I was being a little sarcastic but I guess you could engineer something like that.
But as was mentioned above, it seems like they just thought "Ooooh maglev!" without ever understanding that maglev still requires POWER. Maglev isn't a stand alone propulsion system.
I'm all for forward thinking and energy conservation and even concept cars, but reality is still a great thing to be grounded in. Real solutions are what we need to save the environment not pie in the sky wishes.
And the square steering wheel? Come on! Different isn't always better. Steering wheels are round for a reason. All these concepts that replace the wheel with yokes and joysticks and whatnot are NEVER going to fly because you'd need to convince consumers to buy a car that requires them to RELEARN how to drive for no real benefit. Simply because its a new way to do something that worked just fine before. How do you reposition your hands on a joystick for comfort? You can't. Steering wheels rule. Round ones that is...
Norman 2:04PM (10/23/2007)
A small on board power source of your choice.
All the benifits of fly by wire e.g. electronic braking.
Existing cars are nothing more than model T's, about time it moved from the mechanical horse to the electronic horse. The maglev units, wheel or drum shaped it could be used on existing rail tracks. Take the idea one step further, sphere shaped maglev units. 180 degee spin on the move or side way parking. Search Audi RSQ. See patent GB2371033. A pressurized rubber composit sphere with inbedded metal for the powered magnets within an arch to influence. The sphere or tyre shape will deform to the road way irregulararities but remain correctly shaped within the controlling arch for the maglev to work.
Interested party, somewhat.
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Strongbadinator 12:46PM (10/24/2007)
Okay. Hubless wheels= RETARDED. More friction, less strength, no advantages. Please stop. Also, a square steering wheel? As an industrial designer cars of this magnitude of ignorance disgust me.
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