Rinspeed unveils BamBoo electric car

Swiss car manufacturer and tuning company Rinspeed has unveiled yet another bonkers concept vehicle -- an electric car known as the BamBoo.

The BamBoo is a four-seater, open-top buggy that gets its name because many of its interior components are made of panda snacks. Its chassis and body shell are, reassuringly, made from more conventional materials.

The BamBoo, which Rinspeed describes as a grown-up golf cart, is driven by a Frager 54kW electric motor that produces a respectable 140Nm of torque and a 16kWh LiFePO4 battery pack. Together, they'll help the thing accelerate from 0-50kmh in 4.7 seconds, so it should be nippy enough to get away from hordes pointing, laughing pedestrians as soon as the traffic lights turn green.

Rinspeed claims a total driving range of 105km (65 miles) if driven at 90kmh. That's certainly better than a G-Wiz, but we can't help thinking it could be even better if the BamBoo was more aerodynamically inclined -- those wing mirrors look like air brakes.

Drivers of the BamBoo needn't worry about getting stranded if the car grinds to a halt. Rinspeed, despite claiming the BamBoo has no superflous bells and whistles, has crammed in a 'two-wheeler', which we presume to be an ordinary, non-BamBoo bicycle, that'll carry you for the 'last mile'.

This isn't the first wacky concept we've seen from Rinspeed. Earlier this year it showed off the UC, an electric car that came with its own train coach for travelling long distances, and a submersible electric car known as the sQuba.

The BamBoo will go on show for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show next February. Watch out for hands-on pictures and impressions closer to the time.