This Holograktor concept has a holographic AR windscreen

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The metaverse is coming to the roads—or at least, it wants to. Switzerland-based upstart WayRay unveiled its ride-hailing concept, the Holograktor, late November, an electric vehicle prototype built around the company’s advanced augmented reality (AR) technology, according to Car and Driver.

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The AR system has been configured in this vehicle to provide users with 3D gaming content and more; each passenger will have access to several holographic Deep Reality Display® HUDs, in front of them and to their sides.

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What’s more, the company also ensured the seats had armrests equipped with joysticks, as well as advanced gaming controls to allow for an immersive gaming experience.

The Holograktor can drive conventionally, but users can also control it remotely, thanks to its on-board 5G internet connection. Offering satellite and navigation capabilities, a qualified driver can use the car’s cameras, radar, mapping, and sensor suites to allow passengers to relax without relying on an autonomous steering wheel.

The system’s hardware is hidden in a compartment in the car’s roof, — called the Shrimp — which contains the holographic system for the rear passenger. Meanwhile, projectors for the front occupants are housed in the dashboard.

The large rear seat is the key to its design. Its unusual single rear-seat “throne” layout was inspired by data showing that more than 80 per cent of Uber trips were for one person only.

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“The idea is that you can choose Uber Black, Uber SUV, or Uber Holograktor. And if you choose the Holograktor, your ride will be subsidized by sponsored content so that the price will be much lower,” WayRay founder and CEO Vitaly Ponomarev said in a press release, explaining the AR tech could also be used to show occupants advertising on the car’s windows.

Backed by early investments from companies like Porsche, Hyundai, and Alibaba, this Holograktor concept was styled by renowned hypercar designer Sasha Selipanov, in collaboration with WayRay’s in-house team of designers.

While a working version hasn’t been assembled, WayRay’s claiming a 3.9-second zero-to-62-mph time can be wrung out of the car’s single electric motor; with a battery range target of more than 600km (over 372 miles), it’s a powerful EV that could hit in the market in 2025, according to Ponomarev.