“Oli is a work platform for exploring smart ideas for the future of production,” said Lawrence Hansen, head of product development at Citroën.
“They won’t all come together or come in the physical form you see here, but the high level of innovation they’ve shown inspires the Citroen of the future.”
Citroen Design Director Pierre Leclerc and his team, along with BASF and Goodyear, have unveiled the new Oli concept, a quirky SUV in the style of a compact jeep that gives a glimpse of what to expect from the brand in the coming years.
The aesthetic approach is deliberately exaggerated to enhance functionality and versatility, featuring playful color accents, vibrant upholstery materials and vibrant patterns that enhance personalization options.
“We are not afraid to show you how a car is built, for example, you can see the frame, screws and hinges. Using transparency allows us to design everything in a new way. It is like an analog approach to many things that are already digital today,” added Leclerc .
The automaker says the name Oli (pronounced “all e” as in “electric”) refers to the Ami, but unlike that car, which resembles a small variant of the Ami 2CV from the late 1960s, the Oli does not refer to the Citroen of the past. models.
“Citroen is not a sports car brand,” said Citroen CEO Vincent Bryant, “because we want [information] to be recyclable, accessible, engaging and efficient, and we want to start with form equal function.”
The Citroën Oli concept has a relatively small 40kWh battery but a claimed range of 248 miles.
Citroen plans to achieve this by reducing weight as much as possible. Oli weighs only 1000 kg and has a speed limit of 68 miles per hour.
The vehicle is designed to be as light as possible to increase range and made from environmentally friendly materials with affordability in mind.
Citroen and BASF created this feature by using recycled corrugated cardboard to form a honeycomb structure sandwiched between fiberglass reinforced panels.
Each panel is coated with Elastoflex® polyurethane resin and the durable textured Elastocoat® protective layer commonly used in car parks or loading ramps and finished with BASF RM Agilis® paint.
At the front, there are some clever vents to channel air around the windshield, as well as eye-catching C-shaped LED lights.
Citroen designers say that because the Oli is a concept, aerodynamics aren’t given as much attention as in the real world, but the “Aero Duct” system on the front edge of the hood directs air over the roof, creating a “curtain” effect.
At the rear, there are more angular headlights and an open platform that looks a bit like a pickup truck. This can be included in production builds.
Other complexity reduction measures include identical front left and right doors (mounted in opposite directions) with no soundproofing, wiring or speakers, and identical front and rear bumpers made from 50% recycled materials.
To reduce its environmental impact, Oli uses innovative technologies such as the Goodyear Eagle GO tire, which has a tread partly made from environmentally friendly materials, including natural rubber, sunflower oil, rice hulls and turpentine.
Like a heavy-duty truck tire, the Eagle GO can be re-treaded multiple times, Goodyear says, giving it a lifespan of up to 500,000 kilometers.
Citroen says the tubular-frame suspension seat uses 80 percent fewer parts than regular seats and is made from BASF’s 3D-printed recycled polyurethane to reduce waste and reduce weight. The floor material is also made of polyurethane (it is shaped like a sneaker sole) to reduce material diversity and facilitate recycling.
The interior weight-saving theme continues with some quirky orange mesh seats and foam floor mats instead of carpet.
The Oli also lacks an infotainment system, instead having a phone dock and space on the dash for two portable speakers.
How accessible is it? Well, it’s still too early to tell, but such a stripped-down electric SUV could cost as little as £20,000.
However, more importantly, Oli is a possible roadmap towards the goal of affordable and environmentally friendly electric vehicles, which are also the ideal and innovation of automakers and the future of automakers.
“We want to make a statement about affordable, responsible and liberating electric vehicles,” Kobe said.
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Post time: Oct-12-2022