The new freedom: With oli [all-?] Citro?n and BASF prove that an environmentally friendly car can be fun

You might think that the trend on the world’s road is faster, bigger and more luxurious. But if we want to live in a more environmentally friendly way, we must rethink mobility. Citro?n and BASF developed a concept car that sets new standards in sustainability, materials, and design.

Cars are still status symbols – the more engine capacity, the higher the prestige. But what if we were to rethink mobility? What if a car was not a projection screen for our personality but an intelligent and sustainable companion for everyday situations, made of innovative materials and with a design inspired by nature?

In close collaboration, the French car manufacturer Citro?n and BASF have developed an automobile that precisely addresses these issues. The result is "oli" – an all-electric concept car that shows what is possible when manufacturers pursue radically new ideas. "Together, we wanted to explore the question of what the car of the future needs, and in the process, we pushed our boundaries further and further. Be it by using materials in a previously unfamiliar way or by fundamentally rethinking the look and construction of a component," explains designer Alex Horisberger from BASF Creation Center. With BASF experts from design, materials, engineering, and simulation, he worked closely with the Citro?n team to develop and build the vehicle.

The future trend of modesty

The result is an exceptionally lightweight yet robust and durable car – without frills, unnecessary luxury and well thought out down to the smallest detail. It weighs just 1,000 kilograms, and thanks to this lightness, the electric motor gives it a range of 400 kilometers, and it can be charged from 20 percent to 80 percent in just 23 minutes. With a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour, "oli" as a mainly urban vehicle, is maximally efficient, consuming just 10-kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers. Due to its low complexity, “oli” has the potential to become a pioneer in an automotive trend.

Alex Horisberger describes it this way, "We are used to having far too many conveniences. We are in a spiral of permanently increasing optional extras in our vehicles. This system will collapse at some point. ”oli” puts an abrupt end to this: fewer extras, less complexity. But there is a catch. We're not going to give up our conveniences just like that. The solution from my perspective is: If it's going to be moral to consume less, it should at least be well-designed. So, let's make modesty look fantastic and we have a chance! “oli” shows that absolutely compellingly."

To implement these requirements, the experts from both companies were therefore guided by an unusual idea:?

?First, the material and the technological possibilities – then the shape and design.

?"It's the reverse of the normal approach to a product because often the prevailing principle is that form follows function. But when we look at a car from a sustainability perspective, materials and manufacturing technologies must come first," says Horisberger.

Well thought out down to the last detail

To make Citro?n's vision of reusability and simplicity a reality, BASF relied on the material of a single TPU product family for the interior, for example, thus facilitating mechanical recycling at the end of the product life cycle. At the same time, the material offers Citro?n versatile applications, for example, the 3D-printed seats made of Ultrasint?, the iconic storage compartment made of Elastollan? or the vehicle floor made of Infinergy?. On the outside, lightweight yet robust plastic components are used, which on the one hand, reduce energy consumption while driving, but on the other hand, give design managers every creative option. The hood, roof and pickup-like trunk made of Elastoflex? are strong enough to be used as ladders, roof tent bases or for transporting Christmas trees. In addition, the new AGILIS? water-based paints guarantee extremely low levels of volatile compounds.

The entire manufacturing process for the vehicle is also well thought out. For example, the driver and passenger doors are identical, as this saves on press and injection molds. The same applies to the front and rear bumpers and the four identical wheel arches. Hybrid wheels made of aluminum and steel reduce the overall weight by six kilograms. The vertical windshield reduces both the use of energy-intensive glass and heat generation inside.

"Together, we have succeeded in developing a vehicle of the future that makes a statement – for sustainable mobility and, as a result, a highly modern design," says Horisberger, summing up the collaboration between Citro?n and BASF. He is convinced: "Dispensing with everything unnecessary with a fun design and leaves complete flexibility – such a vehicle has a great chance of becoming the new premium segment."

More information on our website about the concept car.