Naturally, when you think of IKEA you think of all those hours of “engineering” while trying to assemble your new wardrobe.
Well now, thanks to college student Ryan Schlotthauer you’ll be able to create a whole host of new nightmares, not building furniture, but by building a car. Schlotthauer has come up with an IKEA concept car that promises to be an inexpensive and sustainable urban commuter.
The car is called “Höga” and was presented on the social media platform Behance.
Being only 2.3 meters long and 1.8 meters high, Höga aims for the utmost in simplicity and functionality.
The vehicle’s skateboard platform houses four independent wheels, which can move in any direction for maneuvering in tight spaces.
Its adjoining A-frame features roll cage bars for safety. There are also gaps for body panels, so owners can add their own.
The front and rear windscreens also function as doors, so that passengers can enter from the front, and load luggage from the back. Höga is said to fit extra luggage or even a small bike or a stroller, thanks to its customizable interior.
While there’s no mention that it runs on battery power, the instructions indicate that it requires 6x batteries of some sort, which aren’t included.
Most notably, as per Schlotthauer, the vehicle’s body is recycled into other products after its lifecycle and, therefore, keeps the waste to a minimum.
Like any IKEA product, you have to assemble it yourself. As a matter of fact, 114 pieces need to be screwed together, which admittedly sounds like a lot of work.
Even with the relatively low price of $6,500, it’s hard not to be skeptical of Höga. Given how difficult it can be to build a simple IKEA bed, I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to assemble an entire car. And besides, how safe could a Lego-like vehicle be? Car manufacturing is complex for a reason.
HT – Yanko Design
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