When you’ve been interested in #vanlife however can’t justify dropping $100,000 on a kitted-out camper, a brand new patent from a Chinese language automaker affords a compromise—however you won’t prefer it.
Seres, a outstanding EV maker out of China, simply secured a patent for an in-car rest room that slides out and tucks away beneath the seat. The patent, first reported outdoors of China by Autoblog, was filed in April 2025, accredited final week, and is presently energetic.
The patented design appears sensible sufficient, with a rail system that permits a compact rest room to slip out from below the seat like a drawer and stay hidden from view when not in use. It’s supposed to “fulfill customers’ rest room wants on lengthy journeys, whereas tenting or whereas staying within the automotive,” in line with the filing.
The design features a fan, exhaust system, and high-tech tank with a heating component to dry out waste. The system could be activated by way of a button or by voice command, although the latter is perhaps a characteristic too far for an already pretty unusual concept.
Every part and the kitchen sink
Firms patent every kind of issues they by no means have any intention of sending to the manufacturing line, however this idea might be loopy sufficient to work in some markets. Whereas in-vehicle bogs aren’t more likely to land stateside outdoors of Sprinter vans and Greyhound buses, it’s not unimaginable to think about that folks with some GI problems would possibly at the very least take into account the choice in a traditional automotive. Public loos could be laborious to come back by, even should you’ve acquired a spot to park.
In China, automakers have turned to in-cabin maximalism to face out from the competitors. A large van referred to as the Mega, made by Seres competitor Li Auto, consists of an unlimited wraparound display screen, fold-flat bed-like seats, and a dual-purpose fridge that may warmth and funky drinks. That mannequin advertises “the spaciousness of a luxurious condo wherever you go.”
So while you begin pondering of a automotive as an on-the-go residing area, an built-in commode mechanism makes somewhat extra sense.
Whereas U.S. #vanlife is a principally solitary affair, Chinese language automobiles just like the Mega are huge, feature-packed choices designed for household highway journeys—not moody Instagram journeys to the desert.
It stays to be seen whether or not the in-vehicle rest room design will ever really materialize, however Seres’s Aito fashions, developed in partnership with Huawei, are wildly in style in China. Final yr, Seres beat out BMW and Mercedes to high luxurious car gross sales within the nation.
