A Ford engineer has designed a possible solution to the ‘last mile’ commute in busy city centres that the user stands on.

The Carr-E concept was designed by Kilian Vas, a Ford systems engineer from Cologne, Germany.

The Carr-E can transport people, or objects up to 120kg, has a range of 14 miles and a top speed of 11mph. It is designed to fit into the boot space usually occupied by a car’s spare wheel.

It was among 633 proposals dreamt up by Ford employees from around the world as part of a challenge to create mobility solutions for urban areas.

 “We really need to reinvent the wheel to find new approaches to mobility,” Vas said.

“When developing the Carr-E, I was inspired by Ford’s expansion into both an auto and a mobility company, but I’m also aware of how rapidly cities are growing and how getting around urban areas will become progressively more complicated. I really wanted to create a device that makes commuting easier and more fun.”

The solution is shortlisted for the innovation challenge finals alongside the TriCiti – a folding electric tricycle that can easily be adapted into a shopping cart, stack trolley or golf buggy; and the eChair concept – an electric wheelchair that can be autonomously loaded into a vehicle.

Ford’s Last Mile Mobility Challenge was set up to develop electric personal assistant devices that will help to make transportation better in areas where vehicles are not permitted or practical, and which help people to get to their final destination from their car.

Video: Kilian Vas and the Carr-E