EDAG Shows New EV Concept and Space Frame

In brief: EDAG, the German electric car design and technology firm, has showcased their latest iteration of the Light Car concept electric ("Light Car - Open Source") and it's innovative "space frame" technology.

Vehicle in the news

Make/Model: Light Car concept
Manufacturer: EDAG

The word

EDAG is a global engineering services provider whose Light Car concept appeared at last year as an independently-designed concept. This year, at the Geneva Motor Show, EDAG showed the latest iteration of the Light Car, this time with several new technologies.

Integrating lightweight materials in what the company calls a "space frame," the company's goal was to pare down the Light Car to a 1,200 kilogram frame, battery, and drive system while minimizing the tooling and other requirements for the scalable vehicle platform of the Light Car.

The idea is to make the car as cheap as possible to build, be scalable so it can be expanded or contracted to meet the needs of a specific market or use (smaller for commuters, larger for taxis or small buses). The designers met their goal using what would normally be associated with computer software: open source collaboration.

The final EDAG concept shown at Geneva has two motors from Protean Electric in the wheel hubs (rear wheels), though the design allows for centralized motors and drive components if desired. LiFePO4 batteries from Gaia give 22kWh and a range of 150km (nearly 100 miles). The Light Car's ctop speed is 87mph and charges to full in about 2 hours (European plug).

A final touch to this car's innovation is the rear-wheel steering (active rear axle steering). Through electronic controls, the car can use this to achieve much greater agility at low speeds while maintaining yaw stability at higher speeds.

And so ...

Very interesting concept from the German design firm and its team of open source engineers.

Photo credits: EDAG