Curtain up for: Tommaso Gecchelin // GETPLUS srl // NEXT Modular Vehicles

Our cities thrive…

but especially in high-density urban areas, the ever-growing number of vehicles is an increasing problem. This development can be observed all over the globe: Every year, around 60 million more vehicles take part in traffic, which equates to an increase of approximately 4%.

At the same time, there are more and more cries for "green" transportation – and the logical solution seems to be electromobility. However, several problems arise here. First, the capacity of the energy grid is limited: In most cases, electric cars are charged overnight when no energy supply from solar power is available - with an increase in electric vehicles, energy shortages are pre-programmed. So, can we afford a "green" transportation future that our power grid can't sustain? Additionally, the purchase of an electric vehicle is not affordable for the whole population.

In conclusion, there is a growing need for socially inclusive and sustainable solutions in transportation. Something that must be "green", but also affordable to everyone, not just a limited elite.

NEXT offers an attractive alternative…

to traditional transport: a flexible vehicle that can be connected with other identical vehicles. Our invention uses modularity to change transportation from being rigid to fluid, breaking the cumbersome rocks of today's vehicles into mouldable clay. NEXT is fully adaptable to the current demand for transport because its size can be customized while in motion. Like a car that fluently grows into a bus to accommodate more people and then shortens back as soon as some of them hop off again.

The concept of mobility building blocks conveys the gist of the founding technology of NEXT: modules dock and undock in longer or shorter vehicles thanks to a combination of an autonomous sophisticated optical guidance system and mechanical docking terminals, while precise, proprietary calibration algorithms coordinate each wheel according to the present length of the vehicle, its speed and the curve angle requested by the road bends.

We break down the concept of vehicles…

to their mechanical foundation, eradicating it from their physical structure, which is completely reinvented and rebuilt from scratch in a module not longer than an average car.

Our invention is not only suitable for public transport, but can also be used to streamline supply chains by improving commercial logistics.Thereby, NEXT creates a significant push for a broader and faster transition from traditional vehicle ownership to Mobility as a Service systems (MaaS)  in cities, generating an obvious positive impact on traffic congestion, number of vehicles, pollution, and overall environmental costs, while setting a higher standard for quality and safety in the transport experience. It also results in lower costs for both production and operation, which in turn allows a more affordable transport and logistics service for everyone. In this way, social inclusion is supported in the form of Mobility as a Community (MaaC).

We at NEXT are convinced this innovation is what most of the cities deserve to relieve traffic and cut energy consumption. It is our mission to radically improve urban mobility, not only decreasing traffic and consumption but creating an ecosystem of physically collaborating vehicles that can shift the paradigm of transportation, defining a new era that we can call flexible architecture in motion.

Hello, my Name is Tommaso Gecchelin…

I came up with “car jumping” when I was doing my graduation in Physics – one of my degrees besides my bachelor’s in industrial design. The idea was simple: Imagine two people in traffic, both in their own car. What if, when the two cars are close enough, the passenger of one car transfers to the other? Now only one car is needed, creating less traffic down the way. Of course, doing this with regular cars is almost impossible. So, I came up with NEXT.

For me, it was incredible to see how my drawings develop into a moving vehicle on the road. It fills me with even more pride that together with my team I was able to showcase fully functional NEXT vehicles at both the Dubai World Government Summit and Dubai EXPO 2020. On top of that, our invention is currently being tested on the streets of Padua and I am optimistic about the future. My goal is to make this innovation available for everybody on the globe as soon as possible - especially considering the energy crisis, which is giving even more importance to sustainability and cost savings, making our mission even more crucial.