The design collaboration that introduced us the Revolve wheelchair in 2021 has now turned its consideration to the issue of inner-city mobility. Noting that many SUV-sized autos round city solely have a single occupant, the staff has designed a compact EV for one.
The collaboration in query is between German mobility designer Andrea Mocellin and engineering consultancy Dexet Applied sciences. The Zigy idea was impressed by the slim and congested roads of London, with the considering seeming to be that large and burly SUVs usually have just one occupant so why not simply develop a “small, zero-emission automobile tailored for metropolis commuting”?
Electrical micro “vehicles” are nothing new after all, we have seen a quantity from automakers large and small, however we have not come throughout too many single-occupancy city autos outdoors of velomobiles. The mission continues to be on the feasibility stage of growth, with Mocellin and staff now looking out for trade companions to take the idea into prototyping and past. The Zigy is being developed for personal use, lease fashions and fleet operation – although there’s additionally the suggestion of future cargo variations for industrial use.
Andrea Mocellin
Specs at this level are very a lot topic to vary, however the single-seater electrical quadricycle is at present anticipated to be 1.95 m (6.4 ft) in size with a wheelbase of 1.59 m, and stand 1.1 m (3.6 ft) huge and 1.6 m (5.3 ft) excessive. We do know that the designers have undertaken digital aerodynamics simulations, and are claiming a drag coefficient of about 0.35 – which “contributes to a 25% improved vary in comparison with rivals.”
It is designed to be constructed round a modular thermoplastic composite body engineered by Dexet, with recycled carbon fiber and unspecified pure fibers used in and out. It would have a curb weight of 353 kg (778 lb). The turning circle is comparatively tight at 7 m (23 ft) for good maneuverability within the metropolis, and its compact dimensions ought to make for straightforward parking, plus there’s 30 liters of trunk house for hauling the buying dwelling.
![The single occupant enters the Zigy via a single door to the left](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/eedf694/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1800x1200+0+0/resize/1440x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2Fa5%2F534ac75348269fdfd20cf1cd9307%2Ftop-view-door-opening-zigy-andrea-mocellin-dexet-tecnologies-2024.jpg)
Andrea Mocellin
The compact automobile’s 12-kW motor peaks at 21 kilowatts and produces a most torque of 135 Nm (99.5 lb.ft). The highest pace is reported to be 77 km/h (48 mph), which can probably preserve it inside its city/metropolis dwelling turf, whereas battery vary is round 160 km (100 miles) per cost.
As talked about earlier, the automobile is designed to seat one particular person solely, who will entry by way of a single door. The renders present what appears like moto-style handlebar management, although the given specs listing a steering wheel – little doubt such issues will resolve themselves on the prototype stage.
We have no phrase on manufacturing plans at this early stage, however the product of the pair’s first collaboration has since seen launch, so there’s a likelihood that Zigy will hit the streets of Europe as a L7e automobile (or LSV within the US) sooner or later sooner or later.
Supply: Andrea Mocellin