Citroen Oli Concept EV Radically Rethinks Family SUVs – With Cardboard

Sustainability Citroen Oli Concept EV Radically Rethinks Family SUVs – With Cardboard James Morris Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I write about the rapidly growing world of electric vehicles Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Sep 30, 2022, 11:25am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Citroen has always been a maverick car brand.

From the legendary 2CV to the innovative DS, the French auto company has frequently diverged from the norm, resulting in some classic designs along the way. The Oli, launched yesterday , could be the next classic Citroen to break the mold. Or it could just be weird.

It’s certainly a radical take on electric transportation. The Oli is like a bigger sibling of the Ami, this time meant for four people with more cargo, more . .

. [+] range and more speed. Arnaud TAQUET @ Continental Productions The 2CV is probably the best Citroen predecessor to understand the Oli, alongside the Ami .

The latter is a radical two-seater “quadricycle” launched at the end of 2020, which makes no pretense of being a car as we normally know it. Instead, it’s aimed squarely at urban mobility and can even be driven without a full license in some countries. The Ami is also exceptionally cheap by EV standards (€6,000 / $7,300).

The 2CV was similarly stripped-down and inexpensive vehicle, but immensely practical, which gave it a successful production run of 42 years and a cult following. The Oli takes this concept and brings in some cutting-edge contemporary additions, including sustainability and home energy storage, while combining them with the most popular vehicle type of the moment – the SUV. But it’s not some 2.

5-ton monster. The Oli makes use of material innovations including heavily treated cardboard to provide the SUV form factor in a vehicle that weights just 1,000kg (2,200lbs). The Oli externally looks like a children’s toy version of a military Humvee.

Arnaud TAQUET @ Continental Productions This enables the Oli to use a mere 40kWh battery where many luxury electric SUVs sport 100kWh or more. Yet it still offers a decent 250-mile range. Top speed has been limited to 68mph (110kph), which means you can drive at French highway speeds but not any faster.

So unlike the Ami, the Oli should be more than capable of intercity journeys, although it is still primarily aimed at urban lifestyles, if the press images are anything to go by. MORE FOR YOU Is Carbon Capture Another Fossil Fuel Industry Con? Sustainable Fashion Wants Brands To Redefine Business Growth Trouble With Predicting Future Of Transportation Is That Today Gets In The Way The biggest battery-related party piece is that the Oli is designed to offer Vehicle to Grid (V2G) from the outset. This means it can be used as a home energy storage device.

The switch to renewable energy can be eased if more households store electrical power when it is abundant, making it available during peak demand when there might, for example, not be so much wind or solar energy being collected. As we wean ourselves off fossil fuel, domestic batteries could be a huge help for smoothing the transition. The roof may be made of cardboard, but it’s strong enough to stand on – or sit on while reading a .

. . [+] magazine.

Maison Vignaux @ Continental Productions The cardboard roof of the Oli might be a bit of a worry, but at the launch Citroen underlined how durable this material is by demonstrating its own employees standing on it as well as anyone else willing to try. Part of the hood and the rear bed are also textured so you can stand on them. The trunk / boot has a glass covering but can be opened to make the Oli into a pickup, which will be handy if you’re collecting DIY materials.

The front windscreen looks a little odd, as it’s at a sheer right-angle to the ground, making the Oli appear somewhat like a military Humvee. In fact, the whole design is externally reminiscent of the venerable US military vehicle but reimagined as a colorful children’s toy. The interior is similarly outspoken, with the prototype a garish orange.

There are four seats rather than five, but they have plenty of space, although the design is more like padded beach furniture. The seat material is made from recovered thermoplastic polyurethane material, and overall half the vehicle is made from secondary (recycled) substances. The entire vehicle is designed to be recycled after end of life too.

The functional but funky design continues with the garish interior, which is replete with recycled . . .

[+] materials. Arnaud TAQUET @ Continental Productions Like the Ami, the built-in technology and infotainment are kept minimal. You supply your own mapping and music via your smartphone.

This doesn’t mean Apply CarPlay or Android Auto mirrored to screen in the car. It means your actual phone screen becomes the infotainment display, which is likely to be yet another way to save plenty of money. However, it could restrict how well the Oli fits into connected vehicle infrastructure, such as being able to tell you when and where to charge on a long journey.

But the cost savings are real. Citroen is claiming it will be able to pull all this off at a price of €25,000 ($24,000 / £22,000). However, the car won’t be on sale in the next couple of years, unfortunately.

The vehicle on show was a concept and won’t be arrivign in production volume until 2030 if it does at all. This may well be a factor of how well its announcement is received, as with the Ami. I really hope it does see the light of day, though, because I can safely say I stan the Oli.

It has that certain “je ne sais quoi” (as the French would say) of great design innovation. It’s a barebones utility vehicle, like the original Willis Jeep, but for urban lifestyles. Ooh la la! Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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