EU-LIVE Consortium Unveils New Electrified Light Vehicle Based On Architecture Similar To Tricycle

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The so-called EU-LIVE (Efficient Urban LIght Vehicle) consortium — composed of 12 partners across 6 different countries — has revealed a newly developed plug-in hybrid (PHEV) light vehicle designed with energy-efficient urban mobility in mind.

The new electrified light vehicle — which was designed mostly by PSA Group, the only auto manufacturer in the consortium — is positioned between the 2-wheel and 4-wheel vehicle segments, being essentially a PHEV tricycle. The idea is apparently that the model could operate in all-electric mode when in urban regions and utilize the gas/petrol engine when necessary outside of them.

The demonstration model features two electric in-wheel motors as well as a PHEV powertrain and a gasoline/petrol internal combustion engine (ICE).

An email sent to CleanTechnica provides more: “Its tilting mechanism offers superior handling, making the vehicle as easy to drive as a 3-wheel scooter. This and the roll-control technology account for more than half of the 13 patents filed by Groupe PSA. The system notably makes use of hydraulic components and hydropneumatic suspension.

“The vehicle runs in zero-emission mode at speed of up to 70 kilometers per hour using 2 rear electric in-wheel motors, developed by 2 consortium partners Elaphe and Brembo. The 48-volt electric battery — designed by Samsung SDI — can be recharged using regenerative braking technology. When driving on inter-urban roads at speeds of between 70 and 130 kilometers per hour, the PEUGEOT SCOOTER 31-kilowatt single-cylinder petrol engine takes over the propulsion. … The vehicle’s small footprint (2.4 metres x 0.85 metres) and rotating doors facilitate perpendicular parking and free up road space.”

Altogether, the vehicle reportedly possesses a single-charge range of 300 kilometers (presumably this is in reference to the unrealistic NEDC testing cycle) and a top speed of 130 km/h. Notably, the model features a heated cabin, in addition to all of the standard safety equipment one would expect in a modern car (airbags, seat belts, etc.).


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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