The 'Colibri' is a one-person light

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

developed by Innovative Mobility Automobile in

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Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Vehicle concept

The Colibri's development stems from three general facts of current mobility behavior: the majority of people use individual transportation and on average cars are occupied by less than two people and travel daily distances of less than 55 kilometers (34 miles). Distinct features of the Colibri are the frame made of

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

, which is considerably lighter than comparable construction types, and an electrically powered seat which is designed to increase the driver's comfort when entering or exiting the vehicle. Five other industrial companies and a university are involved in the development.

R & D Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage of d ...

is subsidized by the

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (; abbreviated BMFTR) is a Cabinet of Germany, cabinet-level ministry of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn, with an office in Berlin. The Ministry provides funding for research projects an ...

. In 2012 the prototype was being built, while serial production was scheduled to start in 2014.

2013 World Premiere in Geneva

After successful completion of the prototype phase, the vehicle had its world premiere at the 2013

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Body

According to the manufacturer, it will be the first vehicle in its class (L7e) to successfully pass the

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– despite the low curb weight of 440 kg (970 lbs) including the battery. With the comparatively low-capacity battery holding 6.5 kWhrs of electric energy, ranges of up to 110 kilometers (68 miles) per charge can be achieved, as well as short recharging time of two hours on a 220 V household socket or less than twenty minutes to 80% capacity on a fast charging station. In addition, the Colibri will offer a fully enclosed cab and hence be weatherproof, unlike its already available competitor, the

Renault Twizy The Renault Twizy is a two-seat electric microcar designed and marketed by Renault. It is classified in Europe as either a light or heavy quadricycle depending on the output power, which is either for the 45 model or for the 80 model, both nam ...

. The trunk will offer 180 liters (6.35 ft³) of cargo volume. Industry experts predict a significant market share potential for the Colibri; internationally, the vehicle is drawing some attention as well.

Performance

Due to its low weight, the vehicle is expected to achieve a maximum speed of up to 74 mph (120 km/h) and accelerate to 60 mph (100 km/h) in under 10 seconds. In contrast to comparable vehicles like the

, the Colibri will utilize a two-gear

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission (mechanics), transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 ...

to reduce energy consumption at higher speeds.

Costs

The planned list price is set at €8,900 for the base version, including

VAT A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...

but excluding the monthly lease rate for the

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of €55 . Assuming an electricity price of €0.20 per kWh, total costs per kilometer driven would be €0.17, including vehicle depreciation, battery lease, maintenance, taxes, insurance and energy. Compared to the most cost-efficient city car which, according to the German

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, costs around €0.30, a light elective vehicle like the Colibri saves €0.13 / km. A compact car easily exceeds €0.40 / km.
German Automobile Club database, accessed on June 1st, 3:56 pm

Notes and references

External links

Official site of the manufacturer
Electric car models Electric city cars City cars 2010s cars Cars of Germany