When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Chinese carmaker Seres realises this basic human necessity. For that reason it has secured a patent for an “in-vehicle toilet” that slides under a seat and enables full onboard lavatory access without stopping the vehicle. An extraction fan to displace fumes and wafting odors is included.
The feature is meant to “satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car” engineers explained in Seres’ patent filing in China on 10 April, as per the BBC.
Seres, an electric vehicle manufacturer based in the south-west city of Chongqing, has not announced any cars that have toilets and it is uncertain if any will be made.
Still, the company is proud to announce its patent and achievement.
The patent filing sets out in detail Seres’ plans for a facility that slides out from the bottom (no pun intended) of a passenger’s seat with a push or through voice-activated commands.
The on-the-go lavatory can be accessed manually through pushing the seat back, as well as through vocalising “start up toilet function,” the Hong Kong Standard reports.
Importantly, the toilet will come with a fan and exhaust pipe to channel odors out of the car, according to the filing on China’s intellectual property administration seen by the BBC.
Chinese automaker Seres has patented a sliding under-seat toilet design for cars. It solves one problem while potentially creating a few new ones. Seres Super Factory is seen here on April 2, 2026 in Chongqing, China. (Wang Jiaxi/VCG via Getty Images)
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 fully hidden beneath the seat via a sliding drawer, making use of the space inside a car without requiring more room.
The patent notes waste is collected in a tank that must be emptied periodically and without fail.
This design approach is unprecedented in the industry.
Critics note despite sealing lids and deodorizing measures, many potential onboard toilet users users may struggle with the psychological barrier of “using the toilet inside a car” and its entire lack of privacy protections.
Read the full BBC report here
