Rinspeed presents further advanced “Snap” ecosystem with “microSNAP”

Rinspeed company head Frank M. Rinderknecht shrunk the “Snap” into the “microSNAP” with the dimensions of a Renault Twizy. And for the first time, Rinspeed demonstrated a fully automated robot station that joins and separates chassis and bodies autonomously. Experts refer to this step in car production where the chassis and the body come together as the mating of an automobile, except here it is not for good, but only for the time of the intended purpose.

As far as the Swiss automotive visionary is concerned, the days of large delivery vehicles that serve customers in sequence like pearls on a string over the course of the day are over. Because online business is booming and now includes the fresh food sector as well, the Swiss national believes in small autonomous vehicles that swarm out and bring their goods to the customer without detours and ‘just in time.’ It couldn’t be faster or more simple - even refrigerated or heated. However, his vision also includes two-seater ‘robo units‘, which take the shortest route to convey their passengers to their destination efficiently and in comfort.

A startup is now on the drawing boards and talks with investors are underway to put the “Snap” on the road. Be it the “Snap” or the “microSNAP,” the basic idea is the same: While the bodies last as long as a car does today, the chassis contain all the components that are subject to wear and aging, such as the computer technology for autonomous driving. “Skateboards” (chassis) and “Pods” (bodies) are only temporary companions for brief periods. Various types of bodies use whatever skateboards are currently available. The skateboards are recycled after a few years, because they will have reached the end of their service life. They thus elegantly avoid an expensive and complicated hardware update.