Pininfarina

Small, eco-friendly cars are cool. That Italian styling house Pininfarina has decided to build one is absolute, irrefutable proof of this. Say hello to the Bluecar – appearing at Geneva after its debut in Paris last year, it may well represent a significant glimpse of our immediate motoring future.

 

The Bluecar is the product of a 50-50 joint venture between Pininfarina and battery specialist Bolloré. No prizes, then, for guessing this means it runs on electricity. But the battery technology itself is new, Bolloré being heavily involved in the development of a new type — lithium metal polymer (LMP).

 

The Bluecar's LMP advantage is fourfold. Absolutely no user maintenance is required. It has around a 124,000-mile life span, faster charging time and five times the energy storage of existing battery alternatives, resulting in a highly impressive 155 mile range. LMP is also virtually loss-less, so it doesn't discharge over time unless you're using it.
 
Visually, the Bluecar's exterior is disappointingly conventional – with a similar form factor to the Mercedes-Benz A-Class or the Suzuki Splash/Vauxhall Meriva. Part of the trunk is given over to a solar panel, however. Together with brake energy regeneration, this helps keeps the battery charged while the Bluecar is on the move.

 

Between journeys, it plugs into a conventional outlet whenever it needs more juice. Pininfarina has given no explicit performance details, but says that acceleration is "in line with that of internal-combustion vehicles in the same segment" — meaning city cars and superminis. The battery is positioned under the cabin floor.

 

This helps with crash safety, but also lowers the center of gravity for improved handling, and makes for a more spacious interior. In fact, since there is no need for any nonelectrical control systems, the Bluecar is incredibly roomy for something so small. And it's well-finished inside, as befits Pininfarina's coach-building tradition.

 

Instrumentation takes the form of a thin upper display complemented by a large touch-screen. This takes care of everything from the climate control to the navigation system to the in-car entertainment. The Bluecar is also just a little bit James Bond, as its state of charge can be monitored by mobile phone.

 

Think this is all some far-off fantasy? Pininfarina and Bolloré are out to prove you wrong. The joint venture expects to build its first production models in 2010. Full-scale production should start in 2011, with anticipated production figures of around 60,000 by 2015.

 

We say bring it on.