Is Rinspeed Xchange the Most Extraordinary Self-driving Car Concept?

Many car makers are working on autonomous driving technology, hoping that they will be able to develop a fully functional self-driving car that could hit the road in the near future, with most of them focusing on the technology that allows a car to navigate through traffic without the help of a human driver. Most of the driverless car concepts that have been developed by various automakers so far have not been too extravagant or luxurious, which is exactly what the Rinspeed Xchange aims to be, an autonomous vehicle that really shows how convenient can these types of vehicles be and the amazing activities you can engage in while the car's computer takes you to your destination.

Rinspeed, a Swiss car manufacturer that is also in the business of tuning cars and restoring vintage vehicles, has developed a driverless car concept dubbed Xchange, which was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. The company has built several unusual concepts in the past, with the sQuba and the iChange as the most interesting ones, but the Xchange is definitely its most extraordinary vehicle to date.

It's an autonomous electric vehicle, which is basically a modified Tesla Model S, with the added bonus of autonomous driving technology and abundance of luxury convenience features that are supposed to help you take full advantage of the extra free time that is at your disposal while the car drives itself. The interior is filled with high-tech devices that keep passengers entertained and help them do some work while traveling.

Since one of the main benefits of self-driving cars is the chance to use your time while traveling to work or some other destination more productively, Rinspeed has equipped the vehicle with TV screens, wireless Internet, incredibly comfortable seats, and an espresso maker, among other things, that can essentially turn it into an office or a lounge, depending on whether you want to work or just sit back and relax.

The swiveling driver and passenger seat can be tilted and fully reclined, and they have folding backrests, and you can turn them around so that you can face backseat passengers. The rear seats can be folded down, revealing a 32-inch flatscreen behind them. With so many potential seating positions, you can either choose to lie down and have a nap, sit back and read a book, or grab your laptop and check your e-mails.

You can push the steering wheel to the middle of the dashboard, so that you have more room to stretch your legs and see the dashboard screens better. Furthermore, if you feel like having a cup of coffee, you can make one with the espresso machine mounted on the center console. The car's infotainment system employs a secure LTE wireless connection, and provides you with real-time traffic information and weather updates.

While Rinspeed Xchange is only a concept and no one expects it to go into production especially without a defined regulation framework for self-driving cars. On the other hand, it does have some features that could find their way into future self-driving cars, and can serve as a good source of ideas for other car makers that are developing autonomous cars.