So, is this the most aerodynamic car you've seen all day? For one student, Elle Kalm, it's the cleanest air-slicing vehicle that's feasibly possible, at least according to Kalm's recently-published paper.
The paper, which was published in August, is a Master's thesis on the design of an aerodynamic green car. The product of two schools, Luleå University in Sweden and Tsui Design and Research in Emeryville, California, the thesis' goal was to design an incredibly aerodynamic vehicle that would be powered by batteries, with "all concerns on consumer demand and to follow Eugene Tsui's design." Tsui is an architect who not only draws inspiration from nature, but attempts to incorporate natural methods into his design, something he calls "Evolutionary Architecture."
As you can see in the rendering, the teardrop-shaped vehicle doesn't have mirrors (it would use cameras instead) and Kalm opted for three wheels over four. While the thesis is not nearly as detailed as one might like in describing how decisions were made, we can read how the students (in some instances, Kalm worked with others) considered pretty much every aspect of the car's design: doors, headlights, body materials, and more. In short, it's an example of how the next generation of designers is getting ready to design a sixth-generation Prius for us.
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