Pininfarina has designed a concept car entirely for the first time with virtual technologies. The Pininfarina Virtual Lab employed augmented-reality, virtual-reality, and “new” mixed-reality technologies to quickly explore various shapes, experiences, and scenarios. The Teorema an interpretation of fully electric and autonomous mobility. Its user experience is intended to create a sense of community and foster interactions among passengers and the outdoor environment.

With the concept, the company “wants to give people back the pleasure of living the car, driving, and traveling, without the frustrations of increased congestion and other compromises, all while integrating AI, 5G, and the latest technology to drive passengers towards new incredible experiences along the journey,” said Pininfarina Chief Creative Officer Kevin Rice.

 

Designed from the inside out

Designed for shared and hyper-connected mobility of the future, it was designed from the inside out. The design teams in Cambiano, Italy, and Shanghai created the interior experience before developing the exterior.

They started from an electric skateboard chassis which allows the car to have a comfortable large space on its inside within its 1400-mm (55-in) height and 5400-mm (212-in) length. The Teorema’s rolling chassis is based on a platform solution built on the Benteler Electric Drive System (BEDS). Pininfarina says that the concept is a very efficient solution and an enabler for setting up new electric vehicles quickly, with reduced complexity and high quality, thanks to a scalable and modular design. The low profile of the chassis allowed for the car to have space on its inside and still keep a relatively low overall vehicle height.

The Teorema was conceived to allow passengers to share experiences along the journey and provide moments of privacy when desired. To enter it, riders walk in as the rear opens and the roof extends upwards and forwards, with a foot-triggering floor guiding passengers to their seats.

The concept leverages Pininfarina’s expertise in interior design and the search for well-being to provide an interior space that can be used in different ways and offers “a new ease of movement” inside the car. The occupants are positioned in a pentagon-shaped space with a narrow cabin up front and greater width further back. A central, modular space—designed to be similar to a home environment—enables passengers to engage in different experiences; for example, passengers can seclude themselves in a private rear space to rest or sleep. No side entry makes the car stiffer and lighter and enables passengers to better use the sides of the car as backrests.

The car’s innovative aerodynamic concept, validated through CFD assessments, was developed in Pininfarina’s own wind tunnel. Outside surfaces on each end of the car have air channels that allow air to stream through the vehicle and around the central living space. The ducts have gradually changing cross-sectional areas. Some of the shapes generate airflow acceleration, with the high-speed jets exiting at the rear of the car reducing wake dimensions, helping reduce drag, and improving efficiency.

 

Three drive modes

The Teorema is designed to switch among different driving modes according to passenger preferences and driving situations.

In Autonomy Mode, the vehicle is completely autonomous, needing no driver. The “driver” can face the other four passengers, with enough distance between them to give a feeling of each occupant having their own private cocoon.

The Drive Mode is meant to guarantee a “community feeling,” with everything that happens during vehicle motion being shared. The different interior areas become of the same color, providing a subconscious connection among the occupants for a shared experience.

When the car is in Rest Mode, the whole interior becomes a social space, with occupants free to move around. The internal environment and smart seats automatically change to allow people to socialize or lounge.

 

Key experience partners

Pininfarina’s designers collaborated with a few partners on technologies that help deliver the unique passenger/user experience.

WayRay provided the in-vehicle AR technology, leveraging its mission to create a future in which any transparent surface is a window to the virtual world. It develops embedded holographic AR displays for car manufacturers as well as for land, water, air transport, and industrial equipment makers.

For the concept, its technology enables crisp virtual images with unprecedented color depth superimposed on the real-world exterior views to inform passengers about the relevant traffic information and places of interest. They appear on the car’s windshield and side glass, with passengers having the ability to interact with the displayed information to learn more or share it with other people onboard.

“Within the near future, we will be getting a whole new visual experience while traveling,” commented Vitaly Ponomarev, Founder & CEO of WayRay. “A seamless combination of the virtual world and the real one will provide a qualitatively new level of safety and comfort. This car may still seem futuristic to most of us, but parts of our technologies implemented in Teorema are already here and ready for mass production.”

Continental Engineering Services, the independent provider of engineering services with access to parent Continental AG’s technology portfolio, provided its expertise in smart surfaces and intelligent glass provided important features in terms of the concept’s user experience and safety. Pop-up buttons hidden under interior surfaces emerge when a driver’s hand is passed over them. Each button has a slightly different shape, allowing the driver to easily recognize them without taking his/her eyes off the road. Smart glass in the rear portion of the car allows passengers to enjoy their privacy and regulate the light entering from the outside. This enables occupants to create a comfortable cocoon for resting.

So do the foldable flat seats, designed with Poltrona Frau to ensure maximum relaxation by allowing passengers to stretch out and dose off. Founded in 1912, the company has been known for its high-end Made in Italy home furnishings, but its Interiors in Motion division founded in 1984 provides high-end interior designs for automotive, aircraft, and yachting. For the Teorema, its seats can turn into benches or cots for occupants to lie down during more intimate times or can face each other for more socializing.

 

Pininfarina will use the Teorema to demonstrate its skills in digital car development. The concept will be the subject of presentations aimed at the Group’s Italian and international customers in the coming weeks.