While electric vehicles are more environmentally benign to produce and distribute than their gas-burning counterparts, they are still not a particularly green option for transportation. With its O light urban vehicle, which is recyclable and flat-packable, Swedish firm Luvly hopes to change that.
To start with, the Luvly O is not user-assembled in the same way as an Ikea furniture component.
Rather, the car will be transported from a major production plant in flat pack form, and employees at smaller micro-factories in the areas where the O will be supplied will assemble it. Because more cars may be carried at once under this system, greenhouse gas emissions and shipping costs should be significantly reduced.
Joachim Nordwall, the former head of design at Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg, created the O.
It therefore includes what Luvly refers to as “slow formula racing tech.” This technology consists of an impact-absorbing polypropylene sandwich material safety shell that is lightweight and robust, as well as exterior Energy Absorption Zones that compress under pressure to absorb impact energy.
The shell is completely recyclable and doesn’t require painting or other surface treatments. Furthermore, the vehicle’s design facilitates the easy interchangeability of its various parts as needed.
When its two detachable lithium battery packs are not taken into account, the entire device is said to weigh less than 400 kg (882 pounds). Since those packs are used one at a time, one can be charged while the other is being used, either at home or at the office.
The O is said to have a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and a range of up to 100 km (62 miles), though details regarding the motor are currently unknown. It has two seats and a trunk capacity of 267 liters. Overall, Luvly asserts that the energy used in the manufacture, transportation, and distribution of its vehicle should be up to 80% less than that of conventional electric automobiles.
The O is expected to sell for approximately €10,000 (~US$10,554) in the end. On the company website, you can sign up for updates if you’re interested in purchasing one.
“Luvly was founded on the belief that the negative aspects of cars – environmental harm, cost, danger to pedestrians and other road-users, space inefficiency – can be mitigated by combining modern technological solutions with futuristic design,” says CEO and creator Håkan Lutz.
