The Hinterland 1: Electric tank-car of the future

Existing purely as sketches, renderings, and specs at this point, the Hinterland 1 electric car looks like one part tank, one part VW bus with a pinch of bullet train added for flavor. OK, maybe two parts tank, but we really like the Hinterland 1's hyper-futuristic aesthetic. Two models built on the same platform would be produced: the "Mini," a two-seater model, and the "Van," seating six. We think it's safe to assume that the images provided are of the "Van" model.

Despite its heavy looks, the bullet-like EV was designed with low aerodynamic drag coefficient of less than 0.25 in mind. To put that into perspective, the Honda Insight is 0.25, and for the Toyota Prius, 0.26, so the Hinterland 1 is will be slipperier than either of them. Apparently, at 75 mph, aerodynamic drag accounts for 75 percent of the fuel consumption, with rolling resistance accounting for the remaining 25 percent, so lowering that drag coefficient can really improve a vehicle's highway range. Neither the Prius nor the Insight can claim zero emissions or come equipped with big 28-inch wheels.

The Hinterland 1 is intended to be primarily a ultra-green city vehicle, which explains why its designers chose to use an all-electric drivetrain to completely remove emissions (and long range driving) from the equation. Using an electric motor that is estimated to output 19 horsepower and 67 foot-pounds of torque, the Hinterland doesn't look to be Tesla Roadster quick, but gratuitous use of lightweight materials such as aluminum and composites may help make up for a lack of power. The expected range of just more than 60 miles on a single charge doesn't look good at first, but consider that we recently spent five hours driving the 49-mile scenic drive all around San Francisco and you realize that for a vehicle that never leaves the city, 60 miles is pretty reasonable. Most city trips will be much shorter than the 60 mile range.

Of course, at this point, we're just having fun speculating. The Hinterland 1 is still in development with no published production date.