Icona Nucleus, the ultimate self-driving living room

The Italian design company Icona announces its debut at the 88th GenevaInternational Motor show, unveiling a worldwide premiere: the autonomous driving concept vehicle Icona Nucleus.

THE concept

Nucleus represents the synthesis of futurism and a human-centered mindset. It takes the Icona Neo Conceptone step further by reconsidering the very way that we use a vehicle.

Neo introduced us to tomorrow, Nucleus will introduce us to after-tomorrow.

The Icona Nucleus embodies Icona’s vision for the future of mobility. First seen in 2015, the Icona Neo concept demonstrated a very tangible tomorrow for the electric vehicle. With its fully autonomous driving level five, the Nucleus jumps two generations ahead. Inside the vehicle, the absence of a driver does not only mean the absence of a steering wheel and a dashboard, but the opportunity for a new understanding of mobile living spaces, where the focus is no longer the road but the destination.

Technology should be felt but not seen and so a “less is more approach” has been used, resulting in a fluid and sculptural body that combines the needs of both aerodynamics and ergonomics. Beyond its technological innovation, Nucleus also shows us the future for the next generation of cars. A generation that aspires to be socially responsible through respect not only for the natural environment but also for the human environment.

Mobility in after-tomorrow will be very different from today, with a large number of shared, self- driving, electric vehicles which will serve as individual or small group shuttles between mass mobility infrastructure and large hub destinations. Yet, the future will remain multi-faceted and cars will continue to reflect our needs as well as express our individuality. With a fully autonomous self-driving car, we can make so much more use of it than the current family car: it will take you to the airport, come back to pick up the kids from school then later take the grandparents to a doctor’s appointment. The car will spend much less time parked, and will be much more usefully employed on the road. One car will replace several cars, and by nature will be an excellent place to be: its use and versatility will be directly reflected in the multiple possibilities of its interior design.

Essential exterior design

“A seamless gliding first class form of transportation” says Samuel Chuffart, Global Design Director of Icona.

The mono-volume exterior is unlike any vehicle you have ever seen. The shape looks purposeful and beautiful. The profile and surfacing look as though the vehicle was shaped to move efficiently and quietly through the air. Being fully autonomous, there is no side glass in the traditional sense, rather semi-transparent bodycolor panels that allow the occupants to see out from the vehicle but remain shrouded for privacy while traveling. The upper glass from windscreen to the complete roof is asymmetrical, divided into fully transparent and semitransparent glass, giving a distinct visual cue that this vehicle is something truly different.

The Icona Nucleus is a self-moving executive lounge: the body side is characterized by long elegant sculpting which emphasizes the luxury nature of the vehicle. Like a protective bubble, the Nucleus protects and embraces its passengers, at the same time offering a stunning view of the outside, thanks to an extremely wide glass surface which constitutes the majority of the upper body.

The graphically asymmetrical body is divides by two portions marked by a diagonal line which crosses the roof from front right to back left, dividing the transparent and partly semi-transparent glass. Just one large entry is granted, to the right, on the safe side. It includes the main sliding door and the oyster roof opening to accommodate the passengers in a walk-in access.

With a length of 5.25 meters and a width of 2.12 meters, the Nucleus stands at 1.75 meters high on 27 inch wheels. Its slick aerodynamic design with full underbody diffuser and wheel arch aerodynamic blade extensions bring the CX to just under 0.22, a very good number that definitely helps its rolling resistance and energy consumption. Its in-wheel motor technology helps to optimize the space inside the Nucleus and its hydrogen range extender can bring the autonomy to 1200 kilometers.

Luxury lounge- like interior

Now that all occupants are passengers, their interaction and the individuality of their personal space become a priority. Individual preferences can be catered for, as seating arrangements are flexible. The road is there and can be seen, but it is no longer the focus of each and every passenger, as in a cinema. This first class traveling lounge is not a foreign concept if we consider air travel. The flexibility of movement for each individual, along with the Infotainment guided by the car computer, gives a sense of luxury well beyond the material and finish that will be expected from such modern and sophisticated vehicles.

This is not too dissimilar to the iPhone, which changed what we consider a phone to be: doing a lot more with what seems in appearance to be less.

The Nucleus can easily accommodate six people. Seats can be adjusted to different use, rotating to face the desk or the rear passengers in the front, strongly reclining to the rear and even transforming into a couch on center. The large seats in the front and in the back make it as comfortable and cozy as a luxury living room. If you are heading to a five-star hotel, sitting in the Nucleus will make it seem as if you are already in your room. A small table and all necessary spaces and connections for a laptop are available, as well as a wet bar so that even the shortest trip can be effectively used for business or leisure.

Being a large luxury car, the inspiration of Nucleus has come as much from the Concorde airplane as from a yacht. A gliding speed form that travels elegantly through the landscapes of cities and countryside. A flair which may after all take us back to the true romance of the image of travelling in the 1930’s; a time when there was no aggressive design to illustrate people’s driving ambition. In spite of actual dynamic capabilities that would naturally be well beyond what was possible for a driven car of that size, Nucleus shows a more mature and peaceful world waiting for us.

Technical data Icona Nucleus

STYLE AND DESIGN

Icona

ENGINEERING

Tecnocad Progetti

MANUFACTURING

Cecomp

POWERTRAIN

Propulsion: Electric AWD

Power: 600 hp

Drivetrain: 4 Elaphe L1500 in-wheel 110 kW motor in wheel

Battery: 6 Coils (300 kg) by Bolloré Blue Solutions

Hydrogen Range Extender: 5.3 kg Capacity at 700 ps

DRIVING SYSTEM

Level 5 by HoloMatic

PERFORMANCE

Acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 3.5s

Combined Range: 1200 km

Drag Coefficient: Cx = 0.22

AMENITIES

Infotainment: Personal Control, Center Travel Dashboard, Multidisciplinary Media System

Business: Mobile Office Access Kit, Wireless device charger

Refreshment: Front wet bar

DIMENSIONS

Length: 5259 mm

Width: 2115 mm

Height: 1742 mm

Weight: 2050 kg

Wheelbase: 3310 mm

Front & Rear tires: 205 35 R 27 Run flat System

INTERIOR

Seats: 3 in High Luxury configuration or 6 max adults

Ingress & Egress: Curb-facing walk-in access

ICONA NUCLEUS, THE ULTIMATE SELF-DRIVING LIVING ROOM

Turin, 22 February 2018 – The Italian design company Icona announces its debut at the 88th Geneva International Motor show, unveiling a worldwide premiere: the autonomous driving concept vehicle Icona Nucleus.

The concept

Nucleus represents the synthesis of futurism and a human-centered mindset. It takes the Icona Neo Concept one step further by reconsidering the very way that we use a vehicle.

Neo introduced us to tomorrow, Nucleus will introduce us to after-tomorrow.

The Icona Nucleus embodies Icona’s vision for the future of mobility. First seen in 2015, the Icona Neo concept demonstrated a very tangible tomorrow for the electric vehicle. With its fully autonomous driving level five, the Nucleus jumps two generations ahead. Inside the vehicle, the absence of a driver does not only mean the absence of a steering wheel and a dashboard, but the opportunity for a new understanding of mobile living spaces, where the focus is no longer the road but the destination.

Technology should be felt but not seen and so a “less is more approach” has been used, resulting in a fluid and sculptural body that combines the needs of both aerodynamics and ergonomics.

Beyond its technological innovation, Nucleus also shows us the future for the next generation of cars. A generation that aspires to be socially responsible through respect not only for the natural environment but also for the human environment.

Mobility in after-tomorrow will be very different from today, with a large number of shared, selfdriving, electric vehicles which will serve as individual or small group shuttles between mass mobility infrastructure and large hub destinations. Yet, the future will remain multi-faceted and cars will continue to express our individuality as much as our clothing does (and as our mobile phones used to until the iPhone). With a fully autonomous self-driving car, we can make so much more use of it than the current family car: it will take you to the airport, come back to pick up the kids from school then later take the grandparents to a doctor’s appointment. The car will spend much less time parked, and will be much more usefully employed on the road. One car will replace several cars, and by nature will be an excellent place to be: its use and versatility will be directly reflected in the multiple possibilities of its interior design.

Essential exterior design

“A seamless gliding first class form of transportation” says Samuel Chuffart, Global Design Director of Icona.

The mono-volume exterior is unlike any vehicle you have ever seen. The shape looks purposeful and beautiful. The profile and surfacing look as though the vehicle was shaped to move efficiently and quietly through the air. Being fully autonomous, there is no side glass in the traditional sense, rather semi-transparent bodycolor panels that allow the occupants to see out from the vehicle but remain shrouded for privacy while traveling. The upper glass from windscreen to the complete roof is asymmetrical, divided into fully transparent and semi-transparent glass, giving a distinct visual cue that this vehicle is something truly different.

The Icona Nucleus looks like a self-moving executive lounge, characterized by a long curvy side line which emphasizes the cell nature of the vehicle. Like a protective bubble, the Nucleus protects and embraces its passengers, at the same time offering a stunning view to the outside, thanks to an extremely wide glass surface which constitutes the majority of the upper body.

The glass is partly transparent and partly semi-transparent, and the two portions are marked by a diagonal line which crosses the roof from front right to back left. In effect, the body is asymmetrical, with just one door on the right side and therefore two very different sides.

With a length of 5.25 meters and a width of 2.12 meters, the Nucleus stands at 1.75 meters high on 26 inches wheels. Its slick aerodynamic design with full underbody diffuser and wheel arch aerodynamic blade extensions bring the CX to just under 0.25, a very good number that definitely helps its rolling resistance and energy consumption.

Luxury lounge-like interior

Now that all occupants are passengers, their interaction and the individuality of their personal space become a priority.

The Nucleus can easily accommodate six people. Seats can be moved with flexibility, even transforming into a couch. One large seat in the front and one in the back make it as comfortable and cozy as a luxury living room. If you are heading to a five star hotel, sitting in the Nucleus will make it seem as if you are already in your room. A small table and all necessary spaces and connections for a laptop are available, so that even the shortest trip can be effectively used for business or leisure.

Nucleus reconsiders the way we access and live in our car, pushing the boundaries of interior space-driven design with an airplane-inspired interior simplified to its most pure form. No longer should we be compelled to sit in a line, with the windscreen and the road ahead as our only focus.

With an asymmetrical approach and different seat designs and configurations, spending time together inside Nucleus means more freedom and flexibility; people enjoying their time together and configuring the space according to their mood and preferences that day.