Luvly O is two to four times more efficient than “full-size” electric cars in terms of energy consumption, with a consumption rate of about 60Wh/km (96Wh/mi).
The flat-pack Luvly O, which the Stockholm-based tech company Luvly claims could be the future of urban transport, will be unveiled soon. The Luvly O, which weighs just under 400 kilogrammes and is “significantly more energy efficient and cheaper to buy and run than almost all ICE and electric cars,” is a quarter the weight of an average electric vehicle (EV).
According to Luvly, the Luvly O is two to four times more efficient than “full-size” electric cars in terms of energy consumption, with a consumption rate of about 60Wh/km (96Wh/mi).
The vehicle, which was created by former Koenigsegg employee Joachim Nordwall, is currently undergoing final testing and is scheduled to go on sale in the second half of 2023. In the second half of 2023, the Luvly O, depicted in this rendering, will be available for purchase.
Hkan Lutz, the CEO of Luvly and one of the company’s co-founders, thinks that light urban vehicles (LUVs) like the Luvly could revolutionise urban mobility and lead to a move away from large cars. In a city, at slow speeds, the average European drives 33 kilometres per day, carrying one to two people.
“The typical car is obviously too big for this. Superfluous vehicles are more dangerous for pedestrians, louder, take up more space, and produce more pollution.”
The 100-kilometer range and 90-kilometer top speed of the four-seater Luvly O are provided by two detachable batteries that weigh just 15 kilogrammes each. Its dimensions are 2.7 metres long by 1.53 metres wide by 1.44 metres high. The best-selling electric car in Europe, the Tesla Model Y, is 4.75 metres long and weighs more than 1,900 kilogrammes.
The Luvly O is inspired by the design of formula racing cars, which have energy-absorbers placed around the chassis and passengers enclosed in a “sandwich-composite safety cell” to achieve an acceptable level of safety without adding weight.
Lutz continued, “Ultimately, consumers need to give up the idea that bigger is better. “Reducing the size of cars in our cities will have a variety of positive effects on the environment and society, reducing emissions and allowing city councils to concentrate on redesigning our streets for people, not cars,” says the report.
According to Luvly, compared to electric cars, the production, shipping, and distribution of LUVs like Luvly consume up to 80% less energy.
The components for Luvly will be transported flat-packed to “micro-factories” close to important markets, where they will be put together primarily by snapping together each component before being shipped to customers.
One shipping container will hold all the components needed to build 20 LUVs. According to Luvly, almost all of the components are recyclable. Additionally, Luvly offers licences for its patented technical platform, enabling businesses to produce their own Luvly O products.
Lutz contends that although cars have been steadily getting bigger for years, people are ready for something new. “There is growing dissatisfaction among city dwellers over the polluted air, congestion, and costs incurred by cars,” he said.
“Look at how prevalent E-scooters have become in every major city in Europe if you want any evidence that there is a demand for mini-mobility vehicles.”
In a recent interview with Dezeen, Peugeot‘s head of concepts Philippe Emmanuel-Jean concurred that electrification could lead to smaller city cars, and Maserati’s CEO stated that the company is designing electric cars to be just as entertaining to drive as those with combustion engines.