This electric car can fold in half

Sure, Tesla's Model S broke a machine that was supposed to test the strength of its roof, but can it fold in half? I didn't think so.

This electric car can:

That's the Armadillo-T developed by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This prototype micro-electric car folds from 110 inches to 65 inches -- taking up one-third of a standard parking space in South Korea. It's able to pull off the feat because the motors are installed inside each of the wheels and the engine is place in the front.

Other specs: The car weighs less than 1,000 pounds and is able to travel about 62 miles with a 10-minute fast charge at a top speed of around 37 miles per hour.

"I expect that people living in cities will eventually shift their preferences from bulky, petro-engine cars to smaller and lighter electric cars," said In-Soo Suh, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology who led the development of the car. "Armadillo-T can be one of the alternatives city drivers can opt for. Particularly, this car is ideal for urban travels, including car-sharing and transit transfer, to offer major transportation links in a city."

Other than being able to fold in half, the car has another impressive feature: no more parallel parking. The wheels can be connected to a smartphone interface which allows them to rotate 360 degrees, making it easy to park in tight spots.

Of course, this is just a concept model, so don't expect to see transformer cars on the road, at least not in the near future.

Read more: KAIST

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com