Peugeot Magnet’s outer wheels, formed of two eccentric cylindrical parts, do not touch the inner hubs of the wheels, and are made of synthetic foam.Both the inner hubs and the inner part of the outer cylinder, contain same pole magnetic tubes which derives their electromagnetic force from the electrical engine.
Thanks to the same polarity magnetic field, when driving, the inner hubs elevate, ultimately causing the car to float several centimeters above the ground. The inner hubs also act as suspensions if the car passes any bumps in the road. Moving forward or backward is made possible thanks to the rotational magnetic energy caused by the inner hub and outer wheel’s magnetic tubes.
The steering wheel controls the magnetic field in the wheels, so that if the driver wishes to turn right, the rotational manner of electromagnetic force in the right wheel decreases, thus causing the vehicle to turn. When braking, a magnetic field which is reversed to the moving direction’s field is applied to the wheels, so that the car stops in a short distance.
Peugeot Magnet’s canopy provides the driver with a viewing angle of 360 degrees. Made of high strength nanomaterials, it is also able to change color, thus protecting the driver against the sun’s radiation.
TFOT covered a concept gravity car called Silbervogel. It was designed by Jakob Hirzel, a student of transportation design at the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences in Germany, for the Xtreme Gravity Series Competition. TFOT also reported on the newly renamed Progressive Automotive X PRIZE International Competition, designed to bring about radical breakthroughs by encouraging the design and creation of a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles.
