NEW: Chinese carmaker, Seres, has been granted a patent for a voice-controlled in-vehicle toilet so a passenger doesn’t have to leave their car to go to the bathroom.
The patent filing shows the toilet being activated by voice commands and sliding out from the bottom of a seat.… pic.twitter.com/vmtkOyJ1k2
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 19, 2026
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1l92yv4mydo
By Osmond Chia – Business reporter
BBC Excerpt:
Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for what it calls an “in-vehicle toilet” that slides under a passenger’s seat for visits to the loo while on the road.
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 10 April.
The patent filing shows Seres’ plans for an onboard toilet that slides out from the bottom of a passenger’s seat with a push or through voice-activated commands.
The loo will come with a fan and exhaust pipe to channel odours out of the car, according to the filing on China’s intellectual property administration seen by the BBC.
Waste is collected in a tank that has to be emptied manually. The toilet also features a rotating heating element that evaporates urine and dries other waste.
When not in use, the toilet is concealed beneath the seat, making full use of the space inside a car without requiring more room.
In-vehicle toilets are rare – mostly found in long-distance coaches – but are not unheard of in cars.
In the 1950s, a special version of a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith included an in-built television set and a toilet beneath the passenger seat, according to auction house Sotheby’s.
