The Mazda RX-9 is an advanced concept that came out on top in this year’s Michelin Design Challenge. It’s a hybrid featuring a 2.5L V6 and wafer-thin electric motor, but features a couple of technologies not seen before in the race for higher fuel mileage.
James Owen Design is the one-man firm responsible for penning the vehicle’s shape. The slick skin features electrostatic collectors that can collect electrical charges that build up on the exterior panels while driving through dry air. The electricity is store in capacitors that can then feed the hybrid drivetrain along with the onboard regenerative braking.
What’s more trick are the vehicle’s tires, which feature Electroactive Polymers (E.A.P.) that with varying levels of voltage from the vehicle’s electrical system can actually change the shape and depth of their tread pattern. The rubber donuts can go from flat and smooth to knobby and grippy, or even ride high on their centers for ultra-low rolling resistance.
The tire stuff is cool. And absorbing the electrostatic energy from dry air would be great, but where are you realistically gonna find dry air? I mean, I live in Tex... ah, never mind.
