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Is This the RV of the Future?
Posted by: Sean O'Neill, Tuesday, Oct 11, 2011, 5:18 PM

ecco campervan
The Ecco camper van (Courtesy )

The Swiss have come up with a new recreational vehicle, or camper van, in apparent homage to the legend of Captains Kirk and Picard.

%21Ecco%20_%20FUTURE%20DESIGN%20_%20NAU%20%20Design%20for%20Architecture%20%26%20Exhibition-1.jpg
How the Ecco expands (Courtesy )
(Courtesy NAU/arrows by Budget Travel)
About as long as 1960s Volkswagen van, the Ecco can double in living space by flipping open "like a Swiss Army knife." There's a flip-out deck, expandable walls, and fold-down seats. It can sleep a family of five.

The Ecco is powered by electricity, which means you need to be near a power source to plug it in at night. An eight-hour charge supposedly lasts a full day, providing enough juice to reach highway-driving speeds.

In the auto world, just about everyone lies to you. Is this concept car legit, do you think? The three-wheeled, teardrop-shaped vehicle seems to have little clearance off the ground. No off-roading in it, for sure. And if a tire blows out, what do you do?

The Swiss company NAU promises to put the Ecco on sale in 2014, but hasn't suggested a price. We have to doubt this will ever exist in real-life. But then again, neither did the Enterprise. We still dig both.

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