Sport Cars i8 Concept

EDAG, worldwide provider of engineering services, will be presenting the world premiere of its vision of an environment-friendly, future-orientated vehicle for everyday and leisure use at this year's International Motor Show in Geneva.

For the body concept of the “Light Car - Open Source”, EDAG has broken new ground, and for the first time ever in automotive engineering, used ASA.TEC's innovative basalt fibre, a lightweight, stable and - above all - 100% recyclable material. Propulsion is taken care of by intelligent, electric drive systems in the wheels, which not only feature a high degree of efficiency to get the power of the lithium-ion batteries onto the road, but will also provide considerably greater creative scope for the vehicle package. In addition, with its innovative light concept, the "Light Car - Open Source" will be one of the first vehicles to utilise (O)LED technology as an individually adaptable design and communication element.

The EDAG Group would like, as a design engineering company, to apply its experience to contributing to the development of new vehicle concepts and processes. Rising energy prices, the CO2 discussion and the increase in demands for reasonably priced cars are all pressing questions which now, more than ever, call for innovative concepts. With its concept cars, EDAG has been producing pragmatic ideas for the evolution of the automobile since 1999. Motivated by the current discussions about the cars of tomorrow and future direction of the automotive industry, EDAG has risked taking a visionary and courageous look towards the future. With the "Light Car - Open Source", EDAG gives possible answers to the question of how new materials, new body concepts and alternative drive systems can be implemented in the future, while conserving resources and keeping costs down for the manufacturer and customer alike.

The body: an individually adaptable desktop

With its innovative light concept and minimalised lighting technology, the "Light Car - Open Source" is one of the first vehicles to use (O)LED technology as a variable design and communication element. Not until it is started up does the "Light Car - Open Source", with a body that looks as though it is made of glass, come to life and reveal its true looks. In the glass panes, (O)LED lamps mark out the outlines of the headlights and rear lights on the "Light Car - Open Source". The driver can design the outlines of the lights to his individual taste to give the car a unique appearance, something he is already used to doing, from setting up his PC desktop. The driver also has a free hand when it comes to arranging his "workplace" in the cockpit. Whether he wants the tachometer in the middle or the climate control gauge on the right-hand side, the driver can individually configure his cockpit as far as size, position and style of the instruments is concerned.

"We have transferred today's multimedia and lighting technology standards to the car, and in future want to offer the customer scope for free configuration, as the entire surface of the vehicle functions like the display of a multimedia installation, and can be used intelligently and individually, " explains Johannes Barckmann, Head of the EDAG Design Studio.

With the aid of state-of-the-art (O)LED technology, EDAG uses the transparent tailgate as a projection screen, making car-to-car communication visible and usable to all motorists. For instance, the braking force can be communicated to the next vehicle by means of an illuminated scale on the back of the car. Other information, such as a distance reading or if there is the tail end of a traffic jam ahead, can be clearly displayed on the back of the car, even if the vehicle behind does not have a car-to-car communication system of its own. Further, the driver of the car behind can see the information straight away, without needing to take his eyes off the road!