The company says that the concept has been built entirely in-house and though it might not be quite the looker, it is the technology it comes with, that speaks volumes about how the concept takes into account two of the most important aspects of urban transport - fuel efficiency and maneuverability.
When you look at the picture above, you see how innovative the company has been. You can see that the front axle is more flexible than ever as it allows for steering angles of up to 75 degrees. According to ZF, the technology reduces the steering effort substantially during parking and turning maneuvers, thus making it adept to handle city traffic conditions.
What the car also boasts of having is a Smart Parking Assist system. As all Parking System assist systems go, this one too is made to automatically parallel or perpendicular park itself into any open space. So, there are the usual sensors on the car but in this car there are twelve ultrasound sensors and two infrared sensors which can find an available parking space and then guide the car into it.
ZF has also made sure to keep up with the times and the Smart Urban Vehicle concept also comes equipped with a PreVision Cloud Assist assistance system that uploads the car's route to the cloud. According to what ZF says, "If the driver follows the same route again, the system calculates the optimum speed for an approaching bend on the basis of these empirical data and actual vehicle data. The assistance function then throttles back the torque early on before entering the bend, to the point where the bend can be negotiated without any mechanical braking." What this in turn will do is protect not only vehicle's battery and braking system, but also provides safety on blind corners.
There's not a lot that's been said about the concept vehicle when it comes to specifications. ZF has only said that the car will come with two electric motors, each producing 53 bhp and it is because of this that the car is able to reach a top speed of 150 km/h. The Smart Urban Vehicle Concept makes a strong statement for itself as it takes into account the problems faced by many motorists on a daily basis in cities and simplifies them through technological advances. The concept then is something that could be put into daily usage.
