The Kobot is a new EV concept for navigating around cities and towns, developed by Kowa Tmsuk. There are three models in this prototype range, the single person vehicles ν (nyu) and β(beta), which with the push of a button from a smartphone can transform so that they can be parked securely in a compact space, and the π(pi) which can hold two people.
"The seat folds up, the wheelbase contracts, and the panels are concealed. So this concept also has security in mind. In the green Kobot β, the wheelbase goes down by about 30 cm. In the red Kobot ν, it goes down by about 40 cm."
The Kobot is developed by Kowa Tmsuk, a new company formed by Kowa, a medical instrument manufacturer, and Tmsuk, a robot manufacturer. Kowa Tmsuk isn't just developing vehicle hardware, they are also proposing new ways of using their technology for communal car sharing in urban areas.
"We don't really intend to make cars for traveling between cities. Rather, we're designing cars for city runaround purposes, like shopping or going to a clinic."
"This vehicle can be made compact, to save parking space. For car sharing, as many cars as possible need to be parked in a small space. We're also thinking about "pedestrian mode," which is another aspect we're presenting at this show. To some extent, vehicles need to coexist with pedestrians, so we've given KOBOT a low-speed mode where it's easy to maneuver. Then, there's Drive Mode, which goes up to about 30 km/h. We started designing this EV with the idea of transforming between the three modes."
"We're exhibiting at the Motor Show because we'd like to form partnerships with several other companies, since we're from different sectors ourselves. So we'd like to get feedback from potential partners, and hopefully, team up. Our aim is to release a first-phase model next fall."
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