Rinspeed Wins Coveted e-Car Award For Dock+Go

Who Is Rinspeed? For those of you who remember my past article on the intelligent and intriguing Rinspeed Dock+Go Smart car extension, back in February, the company has also received the e-Car Award in the category “Innovation of the year 2012”. The famous German car magazines “Auto Bild” and “Auto Test” granted the award to the visionary mobility concept “Dock+Go” of the Swiss creative Rinspeed company.

Rinspeed has put their communal think thank to work and come out with sometimes wild and zany concepts ranging from an under water Lotus Elise, to an X-Tra Lift pickup truck that actually picks up cargo, to the helicopters and boats. The company even gave us tantalizing glimpse of a hydrofoil car, as well as heavily modified Audis and Mercedes. My favorite is the iChange that morphs to adapt to your mood of the day. You name it, Rinspeed has either produced it or thought of it.

e-Car Award “Innovation of the year 2012”. Based on a two axle Smart, Rinspeed decided to let you be in control and let you simply add a third only and if you need to increase the size and performance of the EV. Need a longer trip with extra battery energy? Slap on the Dock+Go. Just need more space? Slap on the regular Dock+Go. It’s that third axle that is the key feature of the innovative modular mobility system from Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht. The “Dock+Go” was presented this past March at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and made quite a stir. The idea is to use a docking “backpacks on wheels.” to serve a variety of purposes depending on the requirements of the day.

What the Dock+Go also does is something very revolutionary, it let’s you buy a tiny footprint car and expand it to your needs and current desire. Need to ride around town? Than the base electric Smart will be sufficient enough. Need to haul a little more than the two or three grocery bags it normally packs? That Dock+Go will give you the necessary added space to do so. Need to go for a trip longer than the 70 or so miles? Slap on the Dock+Go that will give you the added range and thumb your nose at the so-called “range anxiety” marketing scare.

All in all, while the product itself is revolutionary, it gives back freedom in the hands of its driver, giving elegant and easy solutions that are practical. The kudos goes the e-car Award to recognize Rinspeed’s Dock+Go as truly an ingenious add that remind us of the promise car were supposed to give, true freedom.