Innovari II: Taxi Of The Future

A new breed of taxicab, a show­case of design and engineering ideas, has been unveiled by United States Steel.

Designated the Innovari II, the five-passenger fully operable ve­hicle has a 90-inch wheelbase to fa­cilitate quick turnarounds in city traffic. It has an over-all length of 198 inches and stands 62.5 inches high.

The cab is completely climate controlled with twin heaters, air-conditioning and an air purifying system. Driver and passenger com­partments can be controlled separ­ately. Other passenger comfort fea­tures include television, hi-fi stereo and an electrically operated sun roof.

While the body design and in­terior features are new, the basic frame, engine, power steering and brakes are conventional.

One major structural innovation is a specially designed "uniguard" crash protection system built into the body shell. Concealed within the sides, front and rear of the body above bumper height, is a box sec­tion perimeter steel guard which adds protection from impact colli­sions. The "uniguard" features a wedge action between the doors and pillars, providing a continuous protective beam around the vehicle.

An additional safety feature is built-in roll bars which are welded to the chassis and encircle the body and roof interior over the passenger and driver compartments.

The prototype vehicle has extra wide, easy open doors. Each door swings on a single specially designed, stamped door hinge.

Some of the other features in the futuristic, cab include:

An instrument panel designed to minimize knee and head injuries. Tire instrument cluster is supported on a formed and padded metal pan­el facing the driver. It can be de­signed with a rear wall section that is slotted and folded in order to permit a controlled rate of compres­sion on impact.

The roof panel over the driver, forward baggage compartment, and wheel covers, are made of stainless steel.

Luggage compartment in the right front as well as rear of vehicle for more storage.

Fixed partition separating driver and passengers made of a transpar­ent, non-breakable polycarbonate material.

Driver console controls for open­ing, locking and unlocking all doors.

Jump seats concealed flush with­in the bulkhead to provide more passenger leg room.

Coin return chute between driver and passenger.

A sturdy inexpensive perforated steel safety panel between trunk and passenger compartment to pre­vent intrusion of objects from the rear baggage compartment into the passenger area in the event of head-on collisions.

Innovari II, an experimental prototype taxicab, was developed by United States Steel to dramatize the versatility of steel as an automotive design material. Some of the unique concepts embodied in the cab include a high-strength steel "uniguard" crash protection system; roll bars that encircle the body and roof interior; and heavy-duty single steel hinges for doors rather than conventional double hinges. The cab also has such built-in comfort features as air-conditioning, an air purifying system with separate controls for passenger compartment, television, AM-FM stereo, coin return chute between driver and passenger, and retractable sun roof in passenger compartment.