French company Swincar debuted its Spider Electric 2 offroad vehicle at "The Salon des Inventions" — an annual exhibition for inventors and their inventions — in Geneva in April, but a video of the car is now generating attention online.
The company very accurately describes it as a "mechanical spider on wheels." It uses a fully independent suspension (i.e. wheels are fully independent of each other) with massive control arms, which give it incredible levels of wheel articulation. This means all four wheels will remain on the ground no matter how treacherous the terrain gets. Its axles can even cross over each other, which is unlike any vehicle before it.
Suspended in the middle of this ridiculous setup is the the lithium-ion battery pack, along with the driver's seat and controls sitting on top. The battery pack sends its power to individual electric motors at each of the wheels. Swincar says the Spider Electric 2 can drive for four hours on a battery charge.
Swincar offers the options of traditional two-wheel steering and four-wheel steering for added agility.
IMAGE: SWINCAR
With its lightweight aluminum construction and slinky suspension, the Spider stands in sharp contrast to other four-wheeled off-road vehicles that generally use brute force to tackle rough terrain. What the Spider lacks in comparison with something like a Jeep or a Land Rover is ground clearance, meaning it wouldn't be able to climb the steepest rocks without scraping its underside.
The Spider beats traditional off-road trucks by being incredibly nimble.
According to the company's website, the Spider has been in development for seven years and the company is now looking for investors and dealers to sell the car.
Swincar is also developing a Spider for disabled drivers that can be controlled by joystick instead of a wheel and pedals.
It's unclear whether or not the Spider Electric 2 will reach production. We've reached out to Swincar for comment, and we'll update when we have one.
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