Meet The Electric Car That Doubles Up As A Bedroom

• by Tony Hardy
• April 20, 2021
• 3 min read

© Credit to Heatherwick Studio

Eat, sleep, drive; what can’t you do in an electric vehicle these days!

In case you have no clue what we’re talking about, UK architect Heatherwick Studio has created an autonomous electric concept vehicle for Chinese car manufacturer IM Motors that goes against all logic, taking your imagination and running with it.

The vehicles name is ‘Airo,’ and it was revealed to the world only yesterday at the Shanghai Motor Show. It will run only on electric power, producing zero emissions/pollutants when roaming the streets.

© Credit to Heatherwick Studio

And here’s the best part, Airo utilises a HEPA filtration system, which actively cleans the air as it travels like some sort of road sweeper! We’ve seen plenty of concept vehicles in our time, but none as ambitious as this!

You could describe Airo as a borderline apartment on wheels, as it features rotating seats and a pop-up dining table. Foldaway screens located about the cabin make gaming on the go a hell of a lot easier too. And then there’s the option of turning the interior into a bed…

© Credit to Heatherwick Studio

Basically, trust nothing inside as it more than likely transforms into another room altogether. It goes without saying, but you will need to be stationary to perform some of these changes.

“Designed to simultaneously address the global space shortage, Airo is also a multi-functional room with extra space for dining, working, gaming or even sleeping. As a new room for our lives, with a changing view, Airo is a car intended to transport us to a cleaner and better future.”
— Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio

We can’t help but make comparisons to the self-driving cars featured in season 3 of HBO’s Westworld (no spoilers). Those electric cars, although cool, had drivers, whereas Airo is entirely autonomous and based, somewhat, in reality; that’s the difference.

Airo Charging Stations

Heatherwick Studio has also gone one step further by designing charging stations for Airo that they suggest will “become part of the urban fabric for decades to come.” Moreover, each station features a retractable wire and ergonomic handle.

© Credit to Heatherwick Studio

Design-wise, the charging stations resemble street lights more than anything else. Or, if you wanted a fun comparison, a brass elephant trunk.

IM Motors hope to go into production as early as 2023. What next? Autonomous cars with kitchens? Autonomous cars with jacuzzis?

Your guess is as good as ours.

Tony Hardy

Tony loves branding, and studying emerging brands. On top of that, he's a bit of a nerd when it comes to "boys toys" - Scalectrix, toys, collectables. Aside from running content for E4TP, he also runs a branding agency. When he's not doing that, he's writing, reading, and learning about branding and SEO, spending time with his family, or watching wrestling.

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