CarGo Concept

New Designers 6 Jul 2009

CarGo is a single-seater vehicle optimized for urban deliveries. It offers a high level of flexibility thanks to the variable track and wheelbase and the detachable modular storage compartment. It was designed by Coventry graduate Adam Schacter.

Primarily designed for small, inner city deliveries, the battery-powered CarGo’s design allows the driver to quickly adapt the vehicle to suit both traffic conditions and load volume/type, thanks to the variable track and wheelbase.

The CarGo has one seat and provides three standard configurations:

Compact mode‚ used for travelling through average traffic in comfort and ideal for parking;
Narrow mode with banking corner action‚ ideal for weaving through dense traffic quickly;
Pick-up truck mode‚ used for larger payloads.

The removable storage compartment – called “Pod” – can be removed to further reduce the length and transform it into a commuter vehicle.

The vehicle targets the urban delivery companies, offering a high level of flexibility, high manoeuvrability, easier parking, reduced running costs.

The clip-on composite body panels allow for easy corporate branding and low repair costs.

The CarGo project is based on the 6th L’Argus European Design Competition brief, “Optimizing Urban Goods Delivery in Large Cities”.

Adam Schacter explains: “The concept was intended to change in shape and size to provide the user with three configurations that could be utilized depending on load size and traffic conditions; a city car, a narrow tilting vehicle for fast deliveries, and a pickup truck for larger loads.

“At this point I began styling the concept in order to make the design appeal to a commercial market. Sketches were subsequently produced to give my concept the friendly, funky aesthetic I felt it needed in order to be successful.”

The electric powertrain has independently powered electric wheels.

The extendable chassis uses the motorised wheels and solenoids as means to extend and lock in place (extending wheelbase), and is combined with adjustable front and rear tracks and a telescopic tilting / steering mechanism that allows the vehicle to either
tilt like a motorcycle or steer like a regular car.

The attachable Pod (or cargo hold) has a metal slide shutter
and modular shelving, and includes extendable sides for larger
loads.

Adam concludes: “I believe that recent economic climate changes would give these concepts
greater appeal as the demand for low cost, adaptable and multipurpose vehicles takes priority over many of the vehicles of today.”

The CarGo was modelled in Alias and rendered using Bunkspeed Hypershot.

About the designer

Born in England in 1986, Adam Schacter has a BA 1st class degree in Transport & Product Design from Coventry University and is based in Ilford, Essex (near London).

His working experiences include a 6 month freelance contract designing concept vehicles at a consultancy in Essex. He is currently seeking for contract or fulltime work opportunities, both in England and worldwide.