Ah, come on, the French manufacturer puts it a little more
delicately than that. In fact, the Fractal concept is said to
explore "the sense of hearing in addition to sight and
touch", in an attempt to make driving "more instinctive".
Erm, come again...
It's basically a giant experiment to study the importance of
sound in the general driving experience. Peugeot did
something similar with an SR1 concept car back in 2010,
which went on to spawn the cool, digital i-Cockpit that can
now be found on the current 208 model.
So what have they done this time?
Apart from create a rather natty coupe, Peugeot has also
designed and installed a 9.1.2 sound system into the
cockpit that incorporates a cutting-edge tactile bass
system that pumps dirty beats through the occupant's
bones.
Yeah, but doesn't a whopping Kenwood sub-woofer do the
same thing?
This is a little different, as the tactile bass system, which
was developed by US start-up SUBPAC, actually travels
through a solid medium (your bum bum) rather than the
airwaves, meaning sound reaches the inner ear through the
listener's body. It also means the volume doesn't have to
be high to experience badass bass and limits the Ali G-style
'whoomp whoomp' that you're likely to hear in a Tesco car
park at midnight.
Sounds neat. What else can this crazy cockpit do?
The intense sound system can also project audio around
the cabin, so when used in conjunction with voice
navigation, it shifts the synthesised voice to the side of the
car that needs to turn. This is thanks to the anechoic
design of the interior surfaces, which is a posh way of
saying the cockpit is like a giant sound chamber. Better
still, sound designer Amon Tobin has also created a special
external soundtrack that's projected outside the car to let
other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists know when the car
is braking, accelerating and cruising.
But is this concept all bass and no pace?
Peugeot says the lithe urban cruiser weighs less than
1000kg, which immediately takes the strain off the two
75kW electric motors that power each axle. The combined
shove is around 200bhp, which is enough to propel the little
Fractal from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds. The powerful 30kW/
h battery pack is also good for a claimed 280-mile range.
Plus, the Fractal can adjust its ride height and instantly
transform from a low-slung racer into an NCP-friendly
shopping trolley. Any other sweet factoids worth knowing before I buy one?
You can't buy one, it's a concept. But as you asked, almost
80% of the interior trim surfaces were made using an
advanced 3D-printing process, which enabled designers to
explore anechoic surface shapes that were previously
considered too complicated to produce. There's also a very
cool 12.3-inch HD holographic display at the driver's eye
level that can be customised to show all manner of
readouts, as well as a 7.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen that's
built into the centre console and can be used to control all
of the car's main functions.
I bet you can control it via a smartwatch...
Indeed. A Samsung Gear S smartwatch to be precise,
which provides information on remaining battery life,
interior temperature and vehicle location. It can even be
used to remotely lock and unlock doors, as well as tweak
the bottom-busting bass notes from afar.
delicately than that. In fact, the Fractal concept is said to
explore "the sense of hearing in addition to sight and
touch", in an attempt to make driving "more instinctive".
Erm, come again...
It's basically a giant experiment to study the importance of
sound in the general driving experience. Peugeot did
something similar with an SR1 concept car back in 2010,
which went on to spawn the cool, digital i-Cockpit that can
now be found on the current 208 model.
So what have they done this time?
Apart from create a rather natty coupe, Peugeot has also
designed and installed a 9.1.2 sound system into the
cockpit that incorporates a cutting-edge tactile bass
system that pumps dirty beats through the occupant's
bones.
Yeah, but doesn't a whopping Kenwood sub-woofer do the
same thing?
This is a little different, as the tactile bass system, which
was developed by US start-up SUBPAC, actually travels
through a solid medium (your bum bum) rather than the
airwaves, meaning sound reaches the inner ear through the
listener's body. It also means the volume doesn't have to
be high to experience badass bass and limits the Ali G-style
'whoomp whoomp' that you're likely to hear in a Tesco car
park at midnight.
Sounds neat. What else can this crazy cockpit do?
The intense sound system can also project audio around
the cabin, so when used in conjunction with voice
navigation, it shifts the synthesised voice to the side of the
car that needs to turn. This is thanks to the anechoic
design of the interior surfaces, which is a posh way of
saying the cockpit is like a giant sound chamber. Better
still, sound designer Amon Tobin has also created a special
external soundtrack that's projected outside the car to let
other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists know when the car
is braking, accelerating and cruising.
But is this concept all bass and no pace?
Peugeot says the lithe urban cruiser weighs less than
1000kg, which immediately takes the strain off the two
75kW electric motors that power each axle. The combined
shove is around 200bhp, which is enough to propel the little
Fractal from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds. The powerful 30kW/
h battery pack is also good for a claimed 280-mile range.
Plus, the Fractal can adjust its ride height and instantly
transform from a low-slung racer into an NCP-friendly
shopping trolley. Any other sweet factoids worth knowing before I buy one?
You can't buy one, it's a concept. But as you asked, almost
80% of the interior trim surfaces were made using an
advanced 3D-printing process, which enabled designers to
explore anechoic surface shapes that were previously
considered too complicated to produce. There's also a very
cool 12.3-inch HD holographic display at the driver's eye
level that can be customised to show all manner of
readouts, as well as a 7.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen that's
built into the centre console and can be used to control all
of the car's main functions.
I bet you can control it via a smartwatch...
Indeed. A Samsung Gear S smartwatch to be precise,
which provides information on remaining battery life,
interior temperature and vehicle location. It can even be
used to remotely lock and unlock doors, as well as tweak
the bottom-busting bass notes from afar.
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