Called the ME.WE Concept, Toyota’s newest answer to these challenging times is is four-wheel drive electric car, designed by french architect Jean-Marie Massaud.
Developed in collaboration with Jean-Marie Massaud, the Toyota ME.WE electric car approaches transportation design with the intent to almost instill human, economic and environmental challenges into a realistic conception of an anti-crisis car for today. The cabriolet embodies an absorbing sensory experience that is adaptable to a wide variety of lifestyles, transitioning from the culture of more to the culture of, well, better.
Manufactured out of a tubular aluminum structure, the ME.WE devises interchangeable expanded polypropylene body panels (doors, wings, bonnet, bumpers, etc.), where bamboo used for the floor and horizontal surfaces. Additionally, the concept integrates an electric motor in each wheel, transforming it into a two or all-wheel-drive vehicle with the inherent capability of coping effectively with a range of different terrains.
Luggage can be carried on the bamboo roof – protected by a neoprene cover housed within the front portion of the canopy. Mounted on rails in the floor, the rear bench-seat can be folded and stored under the front seat. Alternatively, the removable bench seating system can also be used for a picnic on the grass. Plus: the batteries are located under the floor, which allows the cabin to have a flat surface and more space. And, do note, that the ME.WE’s tubular aluminum frame weights only 30 pounds. That makes the whole concept less than 1700 pounds, which is twenty percent less than what would be possible to achieve by using steel construction.
Last, but not least, the instrumentation is very basic with a single screen above the steering wheel which displays vehicle speed, battery charge, journey information and navigation instructions, delivered via a smartphone below. The heating and air conditioning are delivered by a low-energy air pump and electric seat heaters for maximum efficiency. But the best part is definitely the fact that the windscreen can be folded down for the ultimate open-air experience.
Not bad at all, huh?
