In the increasingly crowded electric vehicle (EV) market, one car company is addressing drivers’ No. 1 concern… and their No. 2.
Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for what it calls an “in-vehicle toilet” that slides out from beneath a passenger seat, allowing drivers who have a shorter range than their vehicles to take care of business without ever leaving the car.
The feature is meant to “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car,” engineers wrote in Seres’ patent filing in China on April 10.
The toilet slides out with the push of a button or even via voice command, so drivers can literally tell their car when nature is calling. It includes a fan and exhaust pipe to send odors outside, while waste is collected in a tank that must be emptied manually.
There’s also a rotating heating element that evaporates urine and dries other waste, ensuring the system doesn’t get backed up under pressure.
When not in use, the toilet folds neatly beneath the seat, because some features are better left unseen.
In-vehicle toilets are rare but not unprecedented. A 1950s Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith included a toilet under the passenger seat, proving that luxury has long been about going wherever, and whenever, you want.
Scents and Sensibility
If you find yourself getting angry behind the wheel, don’t blame yourself — blame your air freshener.
A study published in March suggests that the scent inside your car can influence how you behave behind the wheel, including how likely you are to launch a full-scale personal vendetta against a stranger over a delayed turn signal.
Researchers in China analyzed 933 drivers to understand what triggers road rage, then tested different scents on a smaller group using driving simulators designed to provoke. Participants were placed in frustrating driving scenarios while researchers measured brain activity, reaction time, and performance in both urban traffic and highway driving.
Then they added fragrance.
Peppermint improved alertness and reaction time, making it particularly useful on long, monotonous highway drives where staying awake is the main challenge.
Bergamot, meanwhile, helped stabilize responses, reduce mental workload and lower confusion, especially in dense urban traffic where drivers are constantly processing new information.
Looking beyond their own experiments, the researchers also drew on a broader body of work showing that scent can meaningfully shape driver behavior.
Citrus scents like lemon have been linked to improved driving performance and quicker braking, while lavender and jasmine tend to promote calmer, more relaxed driving. Peppermint shows up repeatedly as a focus enhancer.
Not all aromas are helpful, though. Patchouli is associated with worse moods and more erratic driving, which feels like a betrayal from a scent so closely tied to people who own at least three yoga mats.
So, choose your air freshener carefully. It could be the difference between a calm commute and declaring a blood feud against the driver who hesitated for half a second at a green light.
Colonial Commute
Boston briefly returned to the 18th century in April as Paul Revere rode again, just as he did on April 18, 1775, except for the daylight, the police escort and requests for selfies with passersby.
The rider, Brig. Gen. Richard Reale Jr. of the Massachusetts Organized Militia, portrayed Revere on his famous ride during the American Revolution to warn local militias about advancing British troops.
Dressed in full colonial gear, Reale rode his horse past condos, dog walkers and joggers, yelling out “Regulars are coming” and “Redcoats are out” while urging residents to put down their iced coffee and grab their muskets.
Instead, many pulled out their phones to record the event, while others responded with cheers and applause as he rode by.
The reenactment is part of a long-running Patriots’ Day tradition that honors the original midnight ride and briefly turns ordinary streets into something closer to a living history exhibit.
Reale’s journey followed the same path that Revere took through Charlestown, Somerville, Medford and Arlington, but with the modern benefits of paved roads, traffic control and GPS navigation.
David Matthews has been chronicling the unexpectedly humorous side of news since 2000. The stories are all true.
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