Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for a voice-controlled 'in-vehicle toilet' designed to be concealed under a passenger seat.

• The patent filing, dated 10 April in China, states the feature aims to "satisfy users’ toilet needs on long journeys, while camping or while staying in the car".
• Key features include a fan and exhaust pipe for odour control, and a system that evaporates urine and dries waste, collected in a manual-emptying tank.
• This innovation comes as China's highly competitive electric vehicle market sees manufacturers introducing increasingly unconventional features to differentiate their products.