Gallery: Eco-friendly futuristic fold-out camper van

Soon the trailer park will no longer connotate beer cans and shot guns. Round up a couple of these bad boys and you've got a neighbourhood fit for The Jetsons. 

Inspired by the most famous Swiss compact design -- the Swiss Army knife -- Swiss design company NAU is creating an eco-friendly egg-shaped camper van that folds out into a comfortable living space. 

The camper van -- called ECCO -- gives off zero emissions, but that doesn't mean other cars won't be eating its dust--the aerodynamic van can reach a top speed of 145 kph, not bad for a portable home.

The vehicle can be quickly charged at a standard 240V station. It is topped with a solar panel roof to charge a battery. Just eight hours of charging can provide 24 hours of use.

The NAU website explains,"When used for extended living purposes, even where no electricity is available, it has a built-in photovoltaic panels and solar sail roof, meaning it can cut out the middleman and charge directly from the sun."

The 4.62-meter-long electric vehicle, which is set to go on sale as early as 2014, can sleep up to five people and sports a quaint little kitchen, bathroom and lounge area.

A NAU spokesman says that the ECCO was inspired by the VW and the Airstream caravan.

The company hopes the futuristic vehicle will prove as iconic as the VW camper van (without the suggestion that a questionable cloud of smoke shall emit from the door during a music festival).

Passengers enter the ECCO via a convenient stairway that folds into the ceiling.

While a bit wider than its Volkswagen predecessor, the ECCO’s form is more aerodynamic, and rides closer to the ground. 

NAU says it has not yet decided on a price for the vehicle.

Jane Leung is a Hong Kong-born Canadian who has dabbled in the mixed media bag of film and television production, the professional sports industry and magazine publishing. 

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