If you’ve been curious about #vanlife but can’t justify dropping $100,000 on a kitted-out camper, a new patent from a Chinese automaker offers a compromise – but you might not like it.
Seres, a prominent EV maker out of China, just secured a patent for an in-car toilet that slides out and tucks away beneath the seat. The patent, first reported outside of China by Autoblog, was filed in April of last year, approved last week, and is currently active.
The patented design looks practical enough, with a rail system that allows a compact toilet to slide out from under the seat like a drawer and remain hidden from view when not in use. The design is intended to “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car,” according to the filing.
The in-vehicle toilet design includes a fan, exhaust system, and a high-tech tank with a heating element to dry out waste. The system can be activated through a button or by voice commands, though the latter might be a feature too far for an already fairly strange idea.
Everything and the kitchen sink
Companies patent all kinds of things they never have any intention of sending to the production line, but the concept could be crazy enough to work in some markets. While in-vehicle toilets aren’t likely to land stateside outside of Sprinter vans and Greyhound buses, It’s not impossible to imagine that people with some GI disorders might at least consider the option in a normal car. Public bathrooms can be hard to come by, even if you’ve got a place to park.
In China, automakers have turned to in-cabin maximalism to stand out from the competition. A massive van known as the Mega, made by Seres competitor Li Auto, includes an enormous wraparound screen, fold-flat bed-like seats, and a dual-purpose fridge that can heat and cool drinks. That model advertises “the spaciousness of a luxury apartment wherever you go,” so when you start thinking of a car as an on-the-go living space, an integrated “bathroom” makes a little more sense.
While U.S. #vanlife is a mostly solitary affair, Chinese cars like the Mega are massive, feature-packed options designed for family road trips – not moody Instagram trips to the desert. If the in-vehicle toilet design will ever actually materialize remains to be seen, but Seres’ Aito models, developed in partnership with Huawei, are wildly popular in China. Last year, Seres beat out BMW and Mercedes to top luxury vehicle sales in the country.