For nearly 100 years, the Pininfarina name has been synonymous with beautifully modern vehicle design. In the 1960s, it began investing in the science of automotive design, doing research, and building prototypes. Pininfarina built what it says was the first wind tunnel in Italy designed to test a full-size car. While the focus of Pininfarina for decades was in the automotive space, today the company designs across industries including non-automotive products and architecture with the approach of elegance, purity, and innovation—and sometimes it combines multiple realms into one concept.

An example of this was shown at the recent CES show in Las Vegas with a design brief from California-based new-mobility startup AC Future, The innovator developing futuristic living solutions, challenged Pininfarina to reimagine the way people experience off-grid living through a harmonious blend of luxurious amenities, smart technology, and eco-friendly features. The result is the new mobility concept, called eTH (Electric Transformer House) that the partners presented at the show.

The partners say the eTH offers a sustainable living platform, providing an extraordinary travel and living experience with various expandable structures tailored to living habits and preferences. It caters to individuals and families seeking short-distance adventures and highly customized additional spaces to complement their primary residence. Each product features customizable interior and exterior color options, ensuring an optimal experience in living, working, and traveling.

Among eTH’s distinctive features are moveable walls, which expand to 400 ft² at the push of a button and significantly enhance the living space, redefining the concept of a home on wheels. The retractable solar panel roof captures and converts sunlight into electricity and prioritizes sustainable living. In addition, eTH’s Atmospheric Water Generator system converts moisture from the air for up to 50 L of clean water daily.

In addition to its expandable walls, eTH boasts collapsible and modular furniture that condenses for easy driving and parking. The concept can also serve as both an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) and a moving office. Starlink and Co-Pilot systems provide cutting-edge driver assist technology, a flexible dashboard/office desk, and integrated entertainment. All of eTH’s features as well as the vehicle itself are powered entirely by green energy with 7 days of off-grid capabilities.

More than a home on wheels, eTH is, according to Arthur Qin, AC Future’s Owner, about reimagining the way people experience off-grid living.

“We are tapping into the growing enthusiasm for mobile lifestyles among all demographics, and our innovative approach is strategically positioned to provide a unique experience that aligns with the eco-conscious values of our customers,” he explained.

The concept occupies two core sectors within which Pininfarina exists: architecture and mobility. With that, a natural question comes to mind for its Pininfarina designers: is the eTH a house or a vehicle—or both?

To find out the answer to that question and others, Futurride had a conversation with Pininfarina Senior Design Manager Francisco Barboza, who spoke to us from the company’s Miami office. Below are edited highlights of our conversation.

 

Futurride: Where did the idea of the eTH come from?

Francisco Barboza: Our partner AC Future came to us with a very interesting idea of expanding a Class B vehicle into a home. I served as Executive Director for the project and led a team of transportation, industrial, architecture, graphic, and user experience designers.

 

Futurride: How long have you been working on the project?

Francisco Barboza: The project went very fast, about four months. We started working on it in September with the clear goal of presenting the concept vision at CES.

 

Futurride: What is the need that is being fulfilled by the eTH vision you are presenting?

Francisco Barboza: Since Covid, things are changing a lot; the way we live and work and cities are evolving as well. The need for housing and for travel has increased because people are looking to work from anywhere and have the flexibility to be anywhere and thus live anywhere. This vehicle concept is making a strong connection with that need. We think this is an option for the younger generation for which affordable housing is not so accessible. This is the modern nomad, and eTH gives them the ability to afford a place to stay with the ability to be anywhere.

 

Futurride: How are you addressing affordability?

Francisco Barboza: In considering affordability, our comparison is the housing market instead of the price of the vehicle itself. The average price for a home in America is about $500,000. Our target is to be way below that number. However, in comparison to other vehicles, the concept is expensive because of the electric powertrain and its capabilities as a home. The customer will be challenged with the question of buying a vehicle instead of a house. We are providing a valuable alternative.

 

Futurride: Pininfarina is a unique design company. You work in the world of vehicle design but also in the design of homes. Is eTH a house or is it a vehicle?

Francisco Barboza: The best way to describe it is that it is both, which makes it a unique and challenging proposition. How can we design something that looks very simple and is long-lasting like a house versus an electric vehicle that must be aerodynamic and at the same time bring the comforts of a home? The design language is a bit conflicting. While our heritage is in both areas, the project has been a great exercise for us to mix different kinds of products. The eTH is the result of the knowledge we have designing different product types.

 

Futurride: What are some of the unique features of the vehicle?

Francisco Barboza: We really want to create a great experience within the vehicle, so we developed the idea that the dashboard swaps between driving mode, office mode, or entertainment mode. The experiences are transformed for customer needs. Another unique feature is the concept’s expandable walls and collapsible furniture. With the design we want to stay within a class of vehicle that has a smaller form factor—closer to a van—but we want the amenities of an RV, which traditionally is closer to the size of a bus. We want to duplicate the space inside a large vehicle without the footprint. Collapsibility allows us to create new and expansive spaces. We have created a patented system for collapsing the wall and storing them inside the vehicle without taking up wanted space when the vehicle is in driving mode.

 

Futurride: What were some of the challenges you faced?

Francisco Barboza: A big challenge was getting the proportions right. We had the desire to be able to expand the vehicle and provide 7 ft of interior height. We also wanted the vehicle to have proportions that were appropriate for city streets and that matched human scale. This was difficult to do because we had to build on top of an EV powertrain that takes up space. Moreover, we wanted to design something that is good-looking, simple, and elegant—and not come across as a truck.

 

Futurride: Were you designing primarily for the streets of America?

Francisco Barboza: Yes, our client is based in America with a focus on the American market, which has a long tradition in RVs. But they are looking to a newer, younger generation that wants to experience the outdoors in a different way.

 

Futurride: When do you plan to go to market?

Francisco Barboza: The intention is to go pretty fast. According to AC Future, they’ll try to get it to market around 2025.

 

Kevin Jost contributed to this article.