An Indian man who likes to take his family on long drives in his SUV recently complained on Reddit about the “lack of proper washrooms/toilets” on all his road trips, especially for women.
He noted that he regularly stops at a few select restaurants on the highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada largely because their toilets are “super clean” and “most hygienic.” But he wanted to know if there was a resource that mapped all the clean toilets around India, presumably just the public ones. (Ideally, this would be a real-time online map, showing whether the toilet was currently vacant or occupied, and how fast he needed to drive to get there before another interested party.)
The man may be happy to learn that the Chinese carmaker Seres has seemingly found a solution to a problem that plagues drivers in a number of countries. Seres has patented an “in-vehicle toilet.”
According to a BBC report, Seres’ recent patent filing states that the toilet, which slides under a passenger’s seat, would “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car.”
In case you’re wondering, it’s not just a portable toilet that, once used, would require passengers to roll down their windows and hold their noses. Seres’ engineers have designed the toilet with a fan and exhaust pipe, allowing any unpleasant smells to be pushed out of the car, preferably in the direction of a neighboring car that just cut you off.
While waste matter will need to be emptied manually from a tank under the toilet, it won’t be long before a brilliant engineer designs a system that processes this waste matter into biofuel that propels the car forward.
Father: “We’re running low on fuel. Does anyone need to use the toilet?”
Mother: “I think it’s your turn.”
Father: “But I’m driving.”
Mother: “Don’t you know how to multi-task?”
Emptying the waste tank won’t be a pleasant task, but you’ll be glad to know that the Seres toilet is equipped with a rotating heating element that causes urine to evaporate and waste matter to dry. (No, you can’t use the heating element for any in-vehicle cooking.)
Seres’ engineers have obviously put a lot of thought into their invention, but I wonder if they’ve given much thought to an important aspect of using a toilet: privacy.
It would be uncomfortable to use a toilet with other passengers around, not to mention all the other travelers on the highway. Perhaps the car will come with privacy curtains that automatically drop around you. More likely, the toilet would only be used when the car is parked in a secluded spot, with the other passengers serving as lookouts.
Father: “Be quick! Someone is coming!”
Mother: “Please shoe them away.”
Father: “Shoo! Shoo! … It’s not working. They’re still coming.”
Mother: “I said SHOE them away. Throw your shoe at them!”
While Seres has not yet announced any specific plans to install toilets in any of its cars, the company and its subsidiary brand Aito make SUVs (sport utility vehicles), which are large enough to easily accommodate a toilet. Small cars will probably not have enough space. So what would you do if you’re driving a small car and need to use a toilet badly? Don’t panic. Just approach the driver of an SUV.
You: “Excuse me, may I use your loo please? I wouldn’t trouble you if it wasn’t urgent.”
SUV driver (smiling): “Of course. No problem at all. I’m running low on fuel anyway.”
