When I wrote about the USPS contracts for test-run electric delivery trucks a few days ago, the comments centered around my confusing ZAP with ZENN motors and the EESTOR battery/superconductor/possible pipe dream.  One question that was asked by a friend of mine while on the phone yesterday concerned another of the contestants in that battle for USPS gold: those crazy Germans from EDAG.  My friend, who is mostly EV-illiterate, asked about the company and what they do.

Lucky for him, EDAG just debuted the latest rendition of their Light Car concept at the Geneva Motor Show, so I have new pictures and new information to yap about so he can learn more than he really wanted to know.

The picture here is of the latest rendition of the Light Car electric concept from EDAG.  It’s not much to look at, really, I know, but the looks of the car are not what’s fun about it.  What’s really cool is the concept behind this machine.  Otherwise, I would just make fun of the dumb-looking Tron Light Cycle ripoff and be done with it.  I can’t, though, because the rest of it is highly intriguing and very much a showcase of both German design ingenuity and forward-thinking future tech.

I’m going to start from the inside and work out with this one.  It deserves it.  So we start with the frame.

The Space Frame

EDAG is calling it a “space frame” and with good reason.  It’s an aluminum, steel, and fiber composite that is built to be light, strong, and simple to put together with easy joins and minimal machining required.  This facilitates fast and cheap manufacture.

The shape makes its crash absorption obvious with crumple zones at front and rear as well as energy dispersion throughout.  The cool thing, though, is the base design itself and the goals it achieved.  This frame was made to house all major components of the vehicle in its four-seat size (it’s scalable, more on that in a minute), including battery, motors, controller, and so forth at only 1,200 kilograms.

The design is from partner Linde + Wiemann and extensively uses the ATEC form fixture process.  Another partner, Honsel, provided the smaller portions made to house the various components of the drive train.  Both of these partners are part of EDAG’s “Open Source” process (more in a moment).  Portions of the frame that aren’t welded are bolt riveted, allowing for very easy manufacture.

Scalable and Open Source

EDAG is also a software engineering company and, as such, is well-aware of the open source model used for many of the information technology software available today.  EDAG took this model and applied it to automotive design, in a way similar to how the Riversimple hydrogen fuel-cell car is being designed.

In another aspect of the Light Car’s design, the frame and body components are scalable.  They can be shrunk down to a 2-seat model for commuting or expanded out to a larger model for taxis, small buses, and so forth.  The frame itself can be stretched by adding modular pieces to accomodate the changes or shrunk by removing some pieces.  So the same manufacturing facility could feasibly make three or four models of the car without extensive re-tooling.

The Drive Train

The actual drive train is, surprisingly, the most boring part of the car.  A company called Protean Electric provides the wheel hub motors, which power each rear wheel on the Light Car independently (it’s all independent suspension as well).  The location of the motors is not fixed, however, and they can be moved to centralized locations for axle-turning drive were the body design to change to accommodate single axles.  As they are, they take up less space and can be more easily accessed for repairs – as one of the very few moving parts on an electric is its motors.

The batteries are arrayed along the floorboards, which are mostly reinforced steel, and are LiFePO4 (lithium-iron), totaling 180 cells at 22kWh total.  This gives a range of 150km for the 4-seat car and a top speed of 140km/h.

Finally, the vehicle features rear-wheel steering, with electronic controls, giving it maximum maneuverability at low speeds and maximum stability at higher speeds.

Overall, the EDAG concept Light Car is extremely interesting and innovative.  Whether it ever sees production is a good question, but at least it’s not just another dumb-looking EV.  I likey likey.

Related posts:

1. Suzuki Q – Yet Antoher Lame EV Concept
2. The Nissan Pivo 3 Concept

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