Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision Concepts

Citroën will present new interpretations of its concept Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision at the Shanghai Motorshow through different pods that have been developed by meet local needs. Citroën China developed three new pods, providing three different customers experiences. Immersive Air is the only physical pod, Cozy Capsule and Wander Café are digital ones. Displayed with the Citroën skate, Immersive Air is a multi-passenger pod designed in oval shape and intersected with a vertical rectangular spine with tinted dual sliding glass door. Inside, it’s an entertainment pod where you can play video game, listen to music, sing songs or watch movies. With this bold concept, Citroën continue its process begun in 2020 by proposing new visions of electric mobility, more responsible and shared.

Article on Autonomous Mobility Vision by: Citroën

Citroën autonomous mobility vision: A new model of shared mobility.

Citroën wants to rethink urban mobility to give everyone the opportunity to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by urban centres, without having to put up with the inconveniences. To achieve this, it is necessary to make traffic flow in the city more fluid, more pleasant and more human, while also providing passengers with a comfortable, stress-free, useful and beneficial journey, by reinventing the on-board experience.

With Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision, Citroën offers an innovative concept of shared autonomous and clean mobility, adapting to demand and based on the open-source principle.

This mobility model is based on a key principle, the division between the Citroën Skate and the Pods. Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision therefore offers a fleet of Citroën Skate transport robots that move around cities non-stop, paired with Pods developed to deliver unique experiences. The Citroën Skate is the medium and the conveyor of mobility. Pods attached to Citroën Skate enable users to choose the service they want, whenever they want. Since it is no longer necessary to concentrate on driving the vehicle, Citroën gives users valuable time to enjoy their experience during their journey.

The Pods offer is based on the open-source principle: any third party can decide to develop a compatible Pod based on the technical specifications of the Citroën Skate. Whatever their need, communities, public authorities and companies can take advantage of Citroën Skate technology by developing their own Pods for transporting people or goods or providing services, in a public or private space. A whole new range of mobile services is opening up, from medical centres to food trucks, reading areas or gyms, etc.

The third key principle is that Citroën Skate’s autonomous technology makes it possible to offer ecologically responsible mobility and reduce traffic jams. Autonomous vehicles allow three times more vehicles to use a dedicated lane. The individual approach to self-driving cars is currently a much too expensive model however. In contrast, the Citroën Autonomous Mobility Vision approach is based on optimising the cost of autonomous technology by maximising the usage rate of Citroën Skates. Intelligent fleet management is one of the key factors in maximising the use of Citroën Skates based on demand.

The dissemination of this innovative Citroën approach is therefore based on optimal use of resources by working on the entire ecosystem: Pods and Citroën Skates, dedicated lanes and fleet management.

Three pods designed with Chinese customers in mind.

3 unique pods designed with joyful experiences in mind, tailored specifically to Chinese lifestyle needs: Cozy Capsule, Immersive Air and Wander Café.

Cozy Capsule offers a warm and private traveling experience for up to two passengers.  When hour plus daily commute becomes more and more regular in larger cities, Cozy Capsule maximizes relaxation during your morning travel to work, and helps soothing fatigue after a busy day when it returns you to home. This pod design is inspired by French perfume bottles, introducing a crystal exterior shell sitting on a steady base, upper form covered with gentle sunrise mood-lighting while chiseled grain surrounds the body below the vision line.

Inside the crystal shell, is a soft orange-coloured eggshell seat design.  This is the ultra-comfort main seat designed with full articulation, from standard seating positon to 180 degree lay flat position. Well-tailored ergonomics and Alcantara soft touch trim represent Citroen Advanced Comfort technology. Enhanced privacy and relaxation with an adjustable translucent upper, which can be flipped down for visual isolation to give the passenger more of a cocoon feeling.  A secondary seat on the opposite side is prepared for 1-on-1 private conversation needs. This seat is formed with cork material with the backrest extended to the side as armrests.  The interior space offers an integrated air-purifier and self-watered hanging green plants for healthy, pleasant cabin experience. The recycled base and cork dominant interior make this pod an eco-friendly design statement.

Immersive Air is a multi-passenger pod design with a dominant oval form, intersected with a vertical rectangular spine that cuts through centrally. Exterior is dressed with contrasting dark glaze, and highlighted with metallic sparkling parametric pattern, this pod shines with a high-tech appeal that glows mysteriously. Tinted dual sliding glass door and the panoramic window are one-way see-through, brings a nice balance between visibility and privacy. Passengers could enjoy together time listening to music, sing songs, play video games or watch movies, while the tempo passes on to the external thin vertical panel display of the rectangular spine.

The pod brings passengers into an immersive world with their first step into the interior. The enhanced experience for karaoke and games demonstrated from mood lighting peeking through layered interior décor, and the surround sound with synchronize digital animation below and above amplify the overall immersive experience.  The digital animation changes between dynamic and soothing graphics accompanied by the in-playing music. 4K display, flowing mood lighting and solo microphone on the ceiling are ready for an instant solo performance.

The lounge seating is built with Citroen comfort standard, with well-designed ergonomics and cushion softness level that provide relaxation; special weaving pattern with red & blue trimming gives an iridescent graduation appearance that speaks of tech. No need to look for entertainment any further, the Immersive Air Pod has it all for your enjoyment while taking you to your next destination.

Wander Café is an open air pod that offers 2 passengers a dedicated cold dish and beverage tasting experience while cruising through the great cityscapes. Different from the other 2 pods, Wander Café is an open pod that provides passengers a pleasant journey while enjoying the gentle city breeze.  A face-to-face seating environment with a near 360-degree open view, this pod provides a gratifying leisure travel experience while enjoying some nice delicacies.

The pod is light-structured: seat backrest extends to form the feet of the pod, while the cushion curves down and connects to the floor.  A floating ceiling with modern architectural graphic structure rolls up from the side to shade the seating area. The door-less design makes moving in and out very convenient. Easy access to self-served food and drinks through ordering from HMI integrated table display.  This special vending system brings joy for sunny afternoon tea time, or a happy hour gathering with a beautiful evening view.

Citroën Skate in detail.

On-board technology for improved urban mobility.

The Citroën Skate is an urban mobility solution able to travel around all urban centres in dedicated protected lanes to ensure fluid and optimised mobility. Autonomous, electric and chargeable via induction, the Citroën Skate can operate almost continuously, 24/7, charging itself automatically when necessary at dedicated charging bases.

The Citroën Skate is the mobility platform allowing the Pods to move as needed: it comes to position itself below the Pods on demand, to generate the movement and the service. Pods can be attached in less than 10 seconds. The Citroën Skate is a universal mobility platform which can be used to move all kinds of Pods, thereby enhancing the use of technology in everyday life.

Fitted with all the technology needed for moving transport and logistics units that have dispensed with redundant and expensive equipment, it makes autonomous driving technology profitable. By comparison, passenger vehicles are parked 95% of the time according to statistics and would never use this technology to its full potential. A kind of ultra-tech skateboard, The Citroën Skate incorporates all of the intelligence and technology required for autonomous and electric travel: batteries, an electric engine, sensors, etc. Its top speed is limited to 25km/h or 5km/h to ensure the safety of all users depending on the area. The speed can be configured according to how the Pods are used in order to meet demand as effectively as possible.

The Citroën Skate features a minimal footprint with limited dimensions of 2.60m long, 1.60m wide and 51cm high, meaning it doesn’t encroach on public space. Its compact dimensions and design, stripped of the automotive layer, make it a clever and universal mobility solution.

Design showcasing technology.

Featuring the formal language of the ultra-technical underbody of 19_19 Concept*, design of the Citroën Skate highlights the embedded technology with real attention to detail: macro-chevrons and materials with dark shades combining black mat and aluminium looks, acting as a showcase for the Pods placed on top. The double-chevron logo, which is outsized and proudly displayed at the centre of the Citroën Skate, reinterprets the Brand’s original logo by playing with textures and materials. It carries on the torch of 19_19 Concept*, which included these features.

Embedded systems are spread all around The Citroën Skate, concealed behind the Citroën logos to ensure completely safe and autonomous driving by detecting pedestrians, cars, cyclists, scooters or any other object on the road. Since the front and rear of The Citroën Skate are completely identical, the Citroën logos are backlit, white at the front and red at the rear, to comply with regulations and clearly indicate the direction of travel to other road users.

To provide unparalleled driving comfort during travel, as well as to accommodate the Pods comfortably and without jolts, The Citroën Skate is fitted with movable hydraulic cushions. Citroën Advanced Comfort® logos provide a reminder that Citroën is synonymous with comfort, whatever the type of vehicle.

*19_19 Concept is the concept car developed by Citroën in 2019, the Brand’s centenary year: the vision of ultra-comfort and extra-urban mobility to escape from cities.

Goodyear wheels.

The wheels, which are revolutionary in their concept and design, were devised and developed by Goodyear, which was already a Citroën partner for the spectacularly designed and extraordinarily dimensioned wheels on 19_19 Concept. For The Citroën Skate, Goodyear developed omnidirectional Eagle 360 wheels, comprised of spherical tyres featuring the Goodyear wingfoot and logo. Incorporating small electric motors, they give the robot complete 360° freedom of movement so that it can travel in any direction, just like a computer mouse, turn on the spot and inch its way into the smallest spaces, without concerning itself with a specific direction of travel.