A Chinese carmaker has raised eyebrows after being granted a patent to launch an “in-vehicle toilet” for passengers on journeys.
Seres, one of the most popular manufacturers in China, filed a patent earlier this month that would see a toilet placed underneath one of the seats.
According to the filing, the feature will “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car”.
The toilet can slide from underneath the seat when prompted with either a button or through voice-activation features.
The toilet will come with a fan and exhaust pipe to filter odours out of the car, removing some of the burden from the vehicle owner.
Waste is collected in a tank that must be emptied manually, although it does come with additional features.
The filing also states that it has a rotating heating element that “evaporates urine and dries other waste”.
It can be stored away when not in use beneath one of the seats, which does not require any additional space to be used up.
Chinese brand Seres has applied for a patent that would include an ‘in-vehicle toilet’
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GETTY
Seres, nor its sister brand Aito, has announced any vehicles that could include the technology, although this could change in the future after the filing was approved.
Despite the rarity of such a feature, any Seres vehicle with the technology would not be the first to do it.
A limited edition 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith was recently sold at auction with a golden toilet under the toilet seat.
RM Sotheby’s stated that the gold-plated toilet also doubled up as a champagne cooler. The vehicle was sold for around £110,000 last year.
The patent was approved for use earlier this month
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CHINA NATIONAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION
The historic auction house stated that the original owner of the vehicle, Joseph J Mascuch, had it customised to his needs so he could broker business deals when on the move.
Seres and other Chinese car brands have continually introduced bold new measures to stand out from other competitors.
Popular new car functions include karaoke machines, massage seats, TV screens and even rotating chairs to differentiate themselves from other popular brands.
Seres recently announced that its new Aito M6 electric SUV had received more than 60,000 pre-orders within the first 24 hours of being available.
Seres’ new Aito M6 received 60,000 pre-orders within the first 24 hours
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SERES
The M6 has a range of up to 472 miles, or up to 870 miles with a petrol range-extender, and is available from CNY250,000 or £27,114.
Its flagship M9 model has ranked as the best-selling SUV for 21 consecutive months in the CNY500,000 (£54,228) price bracket.
Last year, Aito sold more than 472,000 new energy vehicles, making it China’s best-selling luxury car brand, thanks to 110,000 M9 deliveries.