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Next-generation, ultra-light electric vehicle - ULV
- 25 June 2010
At Automotive NEXT Industry Fair 2010, Waseda Environmental Institute presented an ultra-light electric vehicle called the ULV. This is a one-person eco-car developed by Waseda University's Nagata Laboratory, based on the concept of "more than a bike, less than a car."
"This vehicle with the yellow body weighs 72.6 kg. It's so light that it can be carried by two people."
"As a way of using the ULV, for example, it could be driven around town as an advertising medium, for environmental publicity campaigns by businesses. Or in areas where train stations are a long way apart, it could be used instead of a rental bicycle, to get from one station to another."
The ULV can be charged in four hours. It has a 400 W motor and a top speed of 40 km/h, and it can travel continuously for 80 km. The electric bill for charging the ULV is just 35 yen, and compared with the Prius, it costs 10 times less per kilometer.
"We recently supplied the ULV as a delivery vehicle to a business in Honjo, Saitama. The business is an eel restaurant, so the front of the vehicle was customized to look like an eel's head. This is really eye-catching on the road, and if the body is customized as well, we think the ULV could be used as an advertising medium."
Waseda Environmental Institute's ultimate goal is "to change the way people think about mobility" through the ULV. From now on, the Institute aims to raise awareness by exhibiting the ULV at environmental events, and make the ULV practical as a means of mobility in community transport systems.
Related Links :
- Automotive NEXT Industry Fair 2010
"This vehicle with the yellow body weighs 72.6 kg. It's so light that it can be carried by two people."
"As a way of using the ULV, for example, it could be driven around town as an advertising medium, for environmental publicity campaigns by businesses. Or in areas where train stations are a long way apart, it could be used instead of a rental bicycle, to get from one station to another."
The ULV can be charged in four hours. It has a 400 W motor and a top speed of 40 km/h, and it can travel continuously for 80 km. The electric bill for charging the ULV is just 35 yen, and compared with the Prius, it costs 10 times less per kilometer.
"We recently supplied the ULV as a delivery vehicle to a business in Honjo, Saitama. The business is an eel restaurant, so the front of the vehicle was customized to look like an eel's head. This is really eye-catching on the road, and if the body is customized as well, we think the ULV could be used as an advertising medium."
Waseda Environmental Institute's ultimate goal is "to change the way people think about mobility" through the ULV. From now on, the Institute aims to raise awareness by exhibiting the ULV at environmental events, and make the ULV practical as a means of mobility in community transport systems.
Related Links :
- Automotive NEXT Industry Fair 2010
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