- people will not be thrilled climbing in over those compartments on the sides to get in.
- The engine has to go somewhere - along with a cooling radiator - and drive shafts have to get to those spherical wheels.
Speaking which, one of the principles of vehicle design is to have low unsprung weight - not heavy spheres for wheels but as light disks as can support the vehicle.
- Cars have a practical size limit - over 8 feet requires special licensing and the space devoted to the round shape is not holding people when people want as much space inside as they can.
You don't have to be an engineer - build a model and try to make it work.
While the idea is good and probably would make a great deal of transit safer and easier, you have to remember people as a whole will look at any new idea and pick it to pieces for any reason. a circle car wouldn't last 3 minutes. Yay the arrogance of humans.
Actually, the design of cars are focused around two things:
Aerodynamics for fuel efficiency and body shape for safety.
Today's smaller cars all have sloped hoods. Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Honda Civic, VW Golf, etc. They are almost like minivans in the front. This is because that shape is found to be the safest. It makes objects or people bounce off the hood and go over the car in the event of a crash and directs them away from the windshield. This helps save both the driver/front passenger, and the victim you are hitting. These sloping hood designs also help if you rear end someone. Instead of the car crumpling, the car you rear end would end up on the roof of your car, deflecting most of the force upwards, instead of towards the driver.
The boxy front cars are most dangerous for hitting people.
A saucer shape could be safe in collisions, but it would also be extremely difficult to drive one, causing more crashes in the end.
As body structure the car would be safer, and your idea may win on this point. On the other hand, the car would not be very safe at high speeds as the shape is near to an aerofoil that makes it lift off with reduced adhesion to the ground.
The proposed shape would not be good for functionality and packaging. That would make it more costly, and people tend to hate something they are not used to.
Edit: I'm not an engineer and this idea has only been in my head for a few years now.
I'm looking to the scientific community for answers on this. For quite some time I've wanted to get this out.
Are rectangles the most optimum shape for vehicles? For a few years now I've thought on and off about the idea of Saucer shaped cars. When looked at from above, it is a perfect circle. When eye level with it, it looks like a saucer. Low to the ground, with a ramp-like body leading up to a half sphere where the cockpit is. It can hold 4 people, and the trunk is in the body. you simply lift up compartments on the sides or back and there is the trunk. The wheels would be 4 spheres as well. How the mechanics work I don't know as I'm only 24 and not an engineer of this idea.
My theory is that for safety, the most optimum shape would be a saucer.
