It is time once again for one of my fanciful trips into wonderland, that land of dreams, milk, and honey. While exploring southern Arizona last spring, my wife and I discovered a level patch of ground on the side of a large hill, overlooking a cool, quiet lake. “Wouldn’t it be great to have a comfortable mobile home we could set up here for the winter, as a base camp for overland adventures?” I wondered—until I checked my bank balance and reminded myself that dreaming is all I could afford. Still, allowing myself to consider it raised an inevitable question: what would we choose—a tried-and-tested Keystone Montana, a Jayco North Point, or perhaps something more modern, minimalist, and high-end?
This thought chain led me to the latest innovations unveiled at CES 2026, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show and held from January 6-7. Italian design house Pininfarina and mobility startup AC Future presented the next phase of their partnership, one aimed at reshaping how people think about mobile living. Central to the presentation was the AI Transformer Home Trailer (AI-THt), which was recognized as a CES 2026 Honoree in the Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility category. (CES is a major global technology event where new electronics and innovations are showcased.)
Building on their CES presentation, the latest iteration of the AI-THt is a 24-foot mobile living platform developed to redefine compact habitation through AC Future’s patented expansion technology. When deployed, the trailer expanded its interior footprint from 190 to approximately 400 square feet, effectively doubling its usable living space. By eliminating a traditional front-driving cabin, the design enabled a fully adaptable interior layout that integrated modular furniture, energy-efficient systems, and Smart AI technology to support everyday living. Externally, the trailer features a refined architectural form shaped for aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in a streamlined profile that balances visual sophistication with improved towing dynamics. Together, these elements position AI-THt as a forward-looking benchmark for sustainable, intelligent mobile living.
Francisco Barboza, Senior Design Manager at Pininfarina of America, said,
“AI-THt represents the maturity of last year’s concept, preserving its essence while refining and amplifying its features and design solutions. This work will be revealed next year through the first pre-production prototype.”
In addition to AI-THt, AC Future showcased an enhanced version of its AI Transformer Home drivable, known as the AI-THd. The exhibit was conceived as an immersive environment, enabling visitors to experience how architectural flexibility, digital intelligence, and industrial design converged to create a self-contained living space capable of operating across a wide range of environments.
Designed by Pininfarina and developed in close coordination with AC Future’s engineering partners, the trailer had undergone notable dimensional and structural changes. The updated design grew to 32 feet in length and incorporated a fully developed version of the patented expansion system, engineered with manufacturing feasibility in mind. The interior layout was reworked to improve everyday usability, refine material choices, and elevate the overall experience without introducing unnecessary complexity.
Externally, the AI-THt now sits on a newly developed chassis, with its form shaped by performance targets, computational fluid dynamics–informed aerodynamics, and weight-reduction strategies, which should make this trailer BEV range-friendly.
Off-grid capability remained a core principle of the AI-THt concept; perhaps this is where the AI element shines brightest. The trailer continues to integrate solar energy generation and self-producing water systems, positioning it as a self-sufficient unit designed for extended use away from established infrastructure. In parallel with the physical development, Pininfarina continued to support the refinement of the trailer’s digital interface, focusing on user flows, visual consistency, and interaction logic. This approach reflected an effort to treat the AI-THt not as a collection of discrete technologies, but as a unified living ecosystem in which mobility, intelligence, and lifestyle functions operated seamlessly together.
The project received notable recognition ahead of CES 2026. In 2025, AC Future’s mobile living platforms—including the AI-THu, AI-THt, and AI-THd—were honored with a Red Dot Award for Design Concept. The earlier AI-THt trailer was marketed with a base price of $158,000.
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