APR 05

Japanese company Teijin Ltd has designed an ultra-light concept EV that barely tips the scales at 963 pounds, showcasing technologies and manufacturing methods that shed weight, but, unfortunately, also make the car unsafe to drive.

The PU_PA EV is a two-seater that weighs about half of a normal EV and almost 60 percent less than a smart fortwo, which weighs in at 1,600 pounds.  The designers used techniques like integral molding to reduce the amount of parts to 100, compared to 20,000 parts for a normal EV.  The core structure was made of feather-weight carbon composite material and the interior fabrics were made from biodegradable PET.

The car does run -- it's capable of reaching 35 mph and has a range of about 60 miles -- but it would be illegal to take it on the road.  The polycarbonate resin windshield is half the density of glass, making it weigh less, but also making it unsafe.  Other problems include the headlights not having enough light density and the lack of airbags.

But the point of the car is less about putting it on the road now than inspiring new ways to shed weight in our cars and therefore increase fuel efficiency (electricity or gas).  The designers think that a road-safe version of the PU_PA EV (hopefully with another name) could be ready in five to 10 years.

via TechOn

Comments (9)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

unsafe car
written by ds, April 05, 2010

i had a very bad moment when i thought that cars should have a spine that pokes the driver in the butt when he hits into something. that would bring down accidents!
to be unsafe for others 1kpound is quite enough.
road safety could be altered for certain areas. i would like to see 30 mph zones that cover entire areas. where bikers do not hamper traffic. you can always resort to base-jumping, bungee ....

• 
• -5
• 
• 

...
written by b, April 12, 2010

i think this is a great move in the right direction! the majority of the energy to drive a car is to move the car itself and not the passengers. The technology now just needs to add the necessary safety elements.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by Jode, April 12, 2010

These cars and others should be used in India and China where millions of ppl can be used inexpensively as crash dummies. Then when they are safe the cars can be sold in countries where important people live.

• 
• -3
• 
• 

nice.
written by sarah, April 13, 2010

omg ...whatever above. there are plenty of situations where slow speed mobility in a small vehicle could work..where one doesn't have to worry about crashing into passenger vans and trucks. this is a great example of the possible.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by Grapple Truck, April 13, 2010

What a cool looking car. I hope this car starts getting mass produced. I would consider leasing it.

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by CadenceSF, April 14, 2010

I still think its a great design. How hard would be to put the missing safety features?

Though I wonder if it were to increase it's traveling range from 60miles to say 200miles or beyond, enough for a road trip by how much its weight would increase.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

...
written by Chris, April 14, 2010

The only reason its unsafe is because other cars are huge. I think it should be at your own risk

• 
• +1
• 
• 

...
written by Jedibabe, April 14, 2010

My brother designs cars for a living and is always gripping about how we have the technology to make very fuel efficient vehicles, but Americans insist on heavy add-ons like power seats and air conditioners. Maybe we all just need to get real and not look at our cars as an extension of our own ego! (I'm speaking to myself here, as much as anyone else. Our Dad created museum quality hot rods; old habits die hard.)

• 
• +1
• 
• 

NOT
written by T.C. O'Rourke, August 17, 2012

963 is not "ultra-light". 60 miles range? Pfft. Steel tubing, bike wheel motors and when it rains, you get wet. THAT is ultra-light.

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment