The Rinspeed UC is a micro electric concept car presented by the Swiss company Rinspeed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010. Its name stands for “Urban Commuter”, and it was intended less as a car than as part of a new transport system built around short city journeys and railway travel.
Rinspeed UC at a glance
| Maker | Rinspeed, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Presented | Geneva Motor Show 2010 |
| Name | Urban Commuter, also read as “You see” |
| Length | about 2.5 m |
| Motor | electric, 30 kW |
| Torque | 124 N·m |
| Top speed | 110–120 km/h |
| Range | 120 km (105 km at 75 km/h) |
| Steering | central joystick |
| Loose basis | Fiat 500 Topolino |
The English and German articles give slightly different lengths (2.5 and 2.6 m) and speeds (110 and 120 km/h); both are quoted here. The video that came with the old entry is no longer available, so the page has no film.
History of the Rinspeed UC
The UC was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010. The name stands for “Urban Commuter”, though it was also read as “You see”, and the car is a micro vehicle only about 2.5 metres long, operated with a central joystick instead of a steering wheel. A Fiat 500 Topolino served as a loose basis for the study.
It is driven by an electric motor of 30 kW with 124 N·m of torque. The car reaches 110 to 120 km/h depending on the figures quoted, and on-board batteries give a range of 120 km, or 105 km at a steady 75 km/h. The top speed mattered little: the point of the concept was the transport system around the car.
According to Frank M. Rinderknecht, the owner of Rinspeed, the UC was meant to go into series production and to ease city traffic at least a little. The plan was to load the cars onto special InterCity carriages for longer journeys, which would prevent traffic jams and make travel less stressful. On board the train the cars could be recharged at charging stations, so that they were ready for use again as soon as the journey ended.
That railway idea is what separates the UC from an ordinary electric city car: the vehicle is short enough to fit a dedicated carriage, light enough to run on a small motor, and charged while its owner travels. No production version followed.
Design and features
- Joystick steering: the car is driven with a central control stick instead of a wheel.
- Short body: about 2.5 metres long, sized for city traffic and for loading onto a train carriage.
- 30 kW electric motor: 124 N·m of torque and a top speed of 110–120 km/h.
- Battery range: 120 km, or 105 km at 75 km/h.
- Train loading: designed to travel inside InterCity carriages and charge on the way.
Rinspeed UC versions
- UC concept (2010): the single car shown in Geneva.
- Urban mode: short city journeys on battery power.
- Intercity mode: the car loaded and charged inside a special railway carriage.
The city theme returns in the Senso and zaZen only by contrast: those are fast cars, while the UC was made for short trips. More is under Rinspeed.
Sources
- Rinspeed, English Wikipedia: presentation, length, joystick, torque, speed, range
- Rinspeed UC?, German Wikipedia: 30 kW motor, Fiat basis, railway plan
