The standard features of the vehicle include a chassis with heavy armor plating and a high performance engine, sometimes with rocket boosters for increased speed, special devices to improve maneuverability, and mounted weapons to disable vehicles and remove obstacles. In addition, the vehicle typically carries a computer that is remotely linked to the Batcave’s main computer, a remote control function, a field forensic kit and a personal small helicopter held in the trunk called a whirlybat.
The vehicle has changed frequently over the decades. In the early stages of Batman’s career, he modified a sedan, with armor, technologically advanced automotive customization, and has turned the Batmobile into the sleek street machine he currently drives.
The Batmobile is also occasionally referred to as being powered by nuclear generation of electricity, both by Robin in a launch checklist from the 1966 television show (“Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed!”), and by The Penguin in Batman Returns, where one of his schemes to kill Batman is to turn the Batmobile into “a H-bomb on wheels.”
