When the Road Doesn’t Wait
We’ve all been there: stuck in highway traffic, nowhere to stop, and suddenly nature calls – sometimes not just for a quick pit stop. Now, a Chinese automaker thinks it has found a fix, though it’s definitely not your usual car feature.
Chinese automaker Seres, the company behind Aito vehicles, has officially been granted a utility model patent for what it calls an “in-vehicle toilet and vehicle.” The patent, carrying authorization number CN224104011U, was filed on April 22, 2025, and approved on April 10, 2026. It remains active, according to Sanyan Tech.
At first glance, it sounds like one of those ideas that never leaves the drawing board. But digging into the patent, it’s clear the engineers put real thought into making it work – even if it still feels a little out there.
China’s IPO
A Drawer-Style Solution Under Your Seat
According to the patent, the system consists of a compact toilet unit paired with a sliding rail assembly. The rail is mounted to connect with the seat structure, allowing the toilet to slide out when needed and tuck neatly back underneath afterward.
Picture a drawer built right into the cabin floor. When you don’t need it, it disappears, so the cabin stays just as roomy and comfortable as before. That’s the clever bit: turning unused space into something functional, especially in EVs where every inch counts.
This actually matters more than you’d think. While in-vehicle toilets aren’t unheard of, especially in RVs, it’s a different story for passenger vehicles, let alone EVs. Most electric vehicles have battery packs hogging underfloor space, leaving engineers little room to add extra features. Seres’ solution tries to sidestep that problem without sacrificing seats or storage.
China’s IPO
A Whole New Level of Awkward
Even if the engineering holds up, this is where things start to get tricky. How do you run drainage in a cramped chassis? Where does the wastewater go? Can the sliding mechanism survive years of use, and will it really keep all the smells locked away? These are tough problems, especially in EVs, where packaging is constrained by batteries under the floor.
Then there’s the human factor, since it’s quite different from portable toilets we’ve seen before. Using a toilet inside a car – especially a silent EV – brings a whole new level of awkward. There’s the noise, the smell, and just the idea of turning your car into a bathroom with other people around. Even with all the seals and deodorizers in the world, getting past that mental hurdle might be the toughest challenge of all.
Like most patents, there’s no promise this will ever make it to showrooms. Maybe it ends up as a niche option for long-haul trips or specific use (e.g. PWD use). For now, it’s parked somewhere between clever innovation and an idea most people likely aren’t ready to try.
Aito
