Ford Patents Autonomous Bike-In-Car Concept — A Less Cooler Batmobile-Batpod Combo?

The US Patent office has already approved the ‘multimodal passenger transportation apparatus' filed by Ford in October 2017. Though the concept is still in its nascent stage, expect it to become a full-scale prototype soon.

The concept seems similar to the iconic Batmobile-Batpod combo, but less cool. In the Hollywood movie, Dark Knight, there is a scene in which Batman comes out of the Batmobile on the Batpod – a futuristic motorcycle with lots of lethal weapon and riding assists. It is one of the most popular examples of four-wheels to two-wheels conversion.

The Ford bike-in-car concept could be either electric with hub motors on each wheel, a rear-engined petrol car or maybe even a hybrid. The electric bike integrated into the car's body will have autonomous capabilities.

The vehicle will have a driver's and passenger's seat along with a central console, just like any other conventional car. However, it is actually the electric bike that forms the major part of the dashboard. The scooter's seat will be the armrest while its instrument panel becomes the car's central console.

Reports also suggest that the car could be driven by the bike's wheel. If that's the case, expect the concept to be more concentrated on efficiency rather than performance. In the most likely case, the Ford bike-in-car concept might not even make it into production.

Thoughts On Ford's Bike-In-Car Concept

The patented autonomous bike-in-car concept from Ford aims to provide less traffic-congestion and more adaptability in driving. In theory, the concept is as simple as driving a car until you reach a place where you cannot move it forward. At that point, you can just dispatch the electric bike and continue your journey.

How practical and functional is this, you wonder? Not even Ford knows yet!