Michelin North America created an annual design contest to “celebrate, promote, publicize and give visibility to original creative thinking and innovation in vehicle design.”
Each year, design and engineering students compete for the best, most innovative transportation design.
As cities grow more crowded and developed, large trucks have greater difficulty navigating narrow, populated streets. According to Michelin, “the days of the modern semi-truck are numbered,” especially in cities like New York, Tokyo and London.
These truck designs were developed by Takbeom Heogh. The truck is called the GelenK.
The GelenK concept truck is a single-seat truck designed to navigate through tighter city streets.
“On the open road the GelenK is a single truck, but at the touch of a button it can split into three separate shipping containers. An extra compartment mounted directly behind the driver can either be used for cargo or living space,” Michelin stated.
“When separated, each cargo container switches on its in-wheel motors and autonomously drives itself to its destined distribution center, keeping tabs wirelessly, with the trucker all the while. At its destination, warehouse employees can interface with the container through a side-mounted touchscreen. Once the cargo is unloaded, the container is sent across town to its waiting driver.”
When the GelenK is separated, the living area that is located in the truck’s rear, can be swiveled around, turning the truck into a studio apartment on wheels.
Image Credit: Michelin
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