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XP Vehicles has its latest offering out in the market – a blue bubble with headlights - an inflatable car that looks more like a boat than a car.
It really is one huge inflatable cushion and is touted to be the safest thing on wheels. The Whisper was inspired by NASA's Mars landing system.
The whole idea is, if something like this was good enough to land on Mars with ultra-sensitive electronics from a great height, then it definitely is safe enough for our terrain.
You would think that small cars are not so big when it comes to safety but the Whisper is made of the latest material of safety airbags so it is much better not only for the passengers but for pedestrians as well.
Most accidents get into the serious injury category simply because of the amount of metal involved and the harm it causes.
The makers of the Whisper are quite confident that you can drive it off a 25-foot cliff and still not suffer too much injury. That’s because the inflated material bears the brunt of the impact. In case of floods, the car just floats. Of course, to make sure that it is stable, the car is aerodynamically designed and it has a special ballast.
It is delivered to you in two flat packs and you have to inflate it – imagine, a do it yourself inflable car that comes in a kit.
It has a baffled pressure tube system and it is what forms the supporting structure of the car as well as gives it protection. This is a sealed system which has a layered web material system.
The car was designed primarily for the Asian markets so the cars would float in times of tsunamis. Aside from this, all it takes is two people to assemble the car which anyway is delivered to the doorstep.
Now for the appearance. It looks like a sports car with rounded edges and you can choose from the trims, colors, styles and features on any one of the 4 body types available.
It is powered by Device Conduit Technologies with a low cost power system and since the Whisper is so light, the batteries last much longer. Another plus, the Whisper has a lot of luggage room which makes it ideal for shopping trips or to carry luggage. The wheels come with 8 hub-mounted motors.
The price? Less than $5000. Quite good considering how much safety comes built in!