Concern Volkswagen AG presents its new drone concept called Gen.Travel. It is interesting that this unusual electric car does not have emblems of the concern’s brands.
Gen.Travel is presented as a development of the Volkswagen Group Innovation division, where forward-looking projects are born.
Gen.Travel is an unmanned passenger shuttle designed for long-distance travel. The developers did not name the range (or any characteristics in general), but said that such shuttles could become an alternative to short flights. Gen.Travel is expected to operate in a rental format with door-to-door delivery.
The shuttle does not have the usual controls, it has a full-fledged fifth-level autopilot and must move in a completely autonomous mode. And on the highway, such shuttles will be able to line up in columns to reduce energy consumption (in the world of trucks, such a system is called platooning). All in all, the reduction of aerodynamic losses when moving in a column is really relevant for this electric car.
Gen.Travel has a tall body with a large area of glazing and two lifting doors. In the cabin, you can organize four seats (with a work table in the center, if you unfold the front seats against the flow), or make a two-seater first-class cabin, in which the seats can be turned into sleeping places. Behind the windshield is a projector that can display a navigation map, travel information, or entertainment content.
Another feature of the car is the active suspension eABC (electric Active Body Control), which increases the comfort of passengers. The Volkswagen concern has already stated that some developments of this project will later appear on serial cars, but there are no plans to release such a shuttle yet.
