It has been more than five decades since humans last walked on the moon — but in a little over two years’ time we could be back on the lunar surface.
NASA wants to put the first woman and first person of colour on Earth’s only natural satellite as part of its Artemis programme, which will eventually see a moon base set up by the 2030s.
If we’re to have a permanent presence on the moon, however, the astronauts will need some way to get around.
And that’s where Toyota’s idea for a Baby Lunar Cruiser comes in.
It’s currently just a concept but the electric SUV offers a vision of what the future could look like — and it’s quite the upgrade from the moon buggies made famous in the 1970s.
For a start, the vehicle looks much more like a car you’d see on Earth.
But it features a panoramic view, dashboard display powered by augmented reality and an array of cameras and sensors that are capable of detecting rough terrain and potential crater-sized potholes on the moon.
The tyres are airless, because getting a puncture would be rather unfortunate.
The vehicle also has Toyota blazoned on the grille and rear, is equipped with in-wheel electric motors and perhaps most excitingly would be controlled by joysticks.
The design is inspired by Toyota’s original FJ40 Land Cruiser and the real Lunar Cruiser being developed by the Japanese carmaker and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
This six-wheeled, self-driving rover is being built to land on the moon in 2029 and will be capable of travelling up to 6,200 miles (10,000 km) across the lunar surface.
The RV-like electric vehicle will hold two people up to 14 days, allowing them to live and work inside while traveling across the moon.
It will be powered by Toyota’s fuel cell technology.
In comparison, the Baby Lunar Cruiser has a split tailgate configuration at the rear, along with adjustable spaceframe seats and panels that provide interior flexibility for moon-based adventures.
It even has a rear seat that folds in and out for extra passengers.
The concept was created by CALTY Design Research, the American outpost of Toyota’s global design network.
It is billed as being a mesh of both new technology and heritage design cues from the original FJ40 Land Cruiser.
For example, the FJ40s had white-painted roofs to keep the cabin cool in remote jungle or desert climates.
CALTY’s Baby Lunar Cruiser has a white roof too, which will be particularly important on the moon considering lunar temperatures can vary from 121°C (250°F) in sun to -128°C (-200°F) in shade.
Meanwhile, some of the revolutionary tech in the concept may well end up in Toyota’s vehicles of the future, not just for out-of-this-world driving but also when tackling rugged terrain on Earth.
CALTY’s design, released to mark the design studio’s 50th anniversary, coincides with a growing fascination with the moon among people in Japan.
A Japanese start-up venture called ispace tried to become the first private company to land on the moon earlier this year, only for its lunar lander to plummet to the surface.
Only four countries have executed a controlled landing on the moon — the United States, the former Soviet Union, China and India.
Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa, who at the end of 2021 took videos of himself floating around in the International Space Station, has booked an orbit around the moon aboard Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Starship.
And as for Toyota, one of the carmaker’s engineers has previously said: ‘Sending our cars to the moon is our mission’.
Shinichiro Noda added that Toyota has vehicles almost everywhere, ‘but this is about taking our cars to somewhere we have never been’.
Share or comment on this article: A road trip that’s out of this world! Toyota unveils a Baby Lunar Cruiser concept that astronauts could drive across the MOON – complete with an augmented reality display, airless tyres, and joystick controllers.
