Nimbus is a retro style eco friendly compact all-terrain vehicle with large panoramic windows, solar panels, and a unique design. Earlier this summer, Brazilian designer Eduardo Galvani published his concept to much international fanfare. Curious about the story behind Nimbus, we asked Eduardo for an interview. He graciously accepted. Eduardo is living proof that talent will not go unnoticed no matter where you are, as long as you have the passion, dedication, and faith. Unorthodox concepts like Nimbus are expanding boundaries and are paving the way for innovative solutions.
What is your background?
I'm from Florianópolis island, Santa Catarina, Brazil. As a student I was drawn to visual expressions, under the influence of my parents. Later I discovered the plasticity of digital platforms, and since then I have developed my unique style of expression by constant improvement, a theoretical foundation, and technical multidisciplinary study. I'm an enthusiast of sci-fi, technology, and futurism. I keep studying and collaborating with projects of varying nature and with strong support of visual languages. I also created the Citycopter, a concept aerial vehicle which represents my proposal for the next era of transportation, Cricket, a concept e-bike, and Manatee, a concept submersible vehicle. The most important characteristics about these concepts are its ecological principles and its integrated software, which, for me, represents a significant advancement in how humans can interact with machines.
I am organizing my idea generating cycle into a workflow schedule, and always consider the ecology and the basic principle of design and functionality for the function of shape and practicality.
What is the idea behind Nimbus?
Nimbus was created from my approach for the ideal all-terrain compact vehicle which would be fun to drive. It is the synthesis of a social and anthropological exercise, the result of a research about transportation. It was supposed to be all electric, but the hybrid system was considered to allow more driving range, according to the existing electric engine technologies and the infrastructure of the cities and roads. Because of it's characteristics, the vehicle could be used for short trips, in urban environments, or long roads, for distant trips, as a personal vehicle, for personal purposes, or as a vehicle for research and explorers. It will be very silent, safe, efficient, and eco-friendly.
How long was the development process?
Firstly, the visual concept was represented by sketches on paper, with its essential characteristics. After that, we used Maxon Cinema 4D and Adobe Photoshop to create the digital prototype. It took about 3 months from the idea generation until the conclusion of the concept.
There are no plans for production yet, but many people have already asked about the availability, so, if a good opportunity appears, we'd like to build a prototype and maybe sell the license for its production rights and collaborate with the manufacturer on further development.
What does the future hold for you?
Now I'm working on an explorer/camper vehicle concept. I'm still surprised by the huge repercussion of the Nimbus in worldwide media but I believe people like it because they believe in and share the principles of what the concept is trying to represent.
Thank you, Eduardo, for this interview and good luck with your future projects!
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