Israeli startup City Transformer seeks to revolutionize how people travel and navigate across cities. It recently unveiled its electric car at the Paris Motor Show that can alter its width to accommodate various driving circumstances.
According to Electric Cars Report, the CT-1 is a “two-seat, four-wheeled, all-electric intelligent microcar.” It was developed to respond to the demands of the urban population, with Paris serving as a tremendous mega-city example.
The CT-1 introduces a new generation of mobility without compromising its customers’ safety, comfort, and driving experience.
Furthermore, the CT-1 offers commuters a terrific option to deal with the burdensome problems brought on by crowded inner-city life. It sports a cutting-edge all-electric drivetrain and a sophisticated wheelbase that can instantaneously change its size on the road.
Remarkably, it can narrow its track from 1.4 meters to one meter in width. That said, it can maneuver into even the smallest parking spaces in an urban setting owing to this wheelbase transformation feature. It also allows the car to avoid traffic and congested flow.
Regarding environmental benefits, the CT-1 significantly lessens “congestion, reducing harmful pollutants, lessening noise pollution and transforming parking availability across urban areas.”
Udi Meridor, City Transformer COO, said: “Paris is one of the world’s great metropolises. Like many other cities worldwide, Paris continues to evolve as a great space people call home. However, in recent years it’s been easy to lose sight of the fact that urban areas have been created for people first and foremost.
“For example, the main arteries that are supposed to keep Paris moving are gridlocked. The roads and avenues closer to the city center suffer from chronic congestion and resulting pollution. And most of this traffic chaos results from larger vehicles being on the road with just one single occupant inside the cabin. It’s time we re-think mobility. It’s time we free your city!
“The CT-1 is a sophisticated next-generation mobility solution for people living in congested urban areas such as Paris. The CT-1 is far easier to maintain daily than conventional automobiles and represents a far safer solution than two-wheel applications.
“There is no doubt that congestion is an overriding issue for mega cities across the world. And this issue is getting more acute. Loss of time, loss of productivity, health problems, environmental damage – the list of negative effects of inner-city traffic chaos is overwhelming. But these challenges have helped to inspire the City Transformer team to develop a unique mobility solution specifically for the urban environment that makes daily transport leaner, cleaner and far more efficient.”
It is also worth noting that the CT -1’s framework is built on the company’s internally created modular skateboard architecture. It guarantees that the foldable microcar is an ideal fit for inner-city life.
Furthermore, the CT -1’s ideal urban size will also guarantee that drivers spend less time in the car and enjoy significantly lower daily electric vehicle operating costs.
The CT-1 provides an excellent 180 km of real-world zero-emission driving range. It only weighs 590 kilograms, including the battery pack. This weight is 80% less in mass than most standard EV batteries.
Remarkably, it would only take 30 minutes to recharge the CT -1’s battery from 10% to 80%.
In terms of speed, CT-1 can drive 90 km/h at 1.4 meters in width (in performance mode). Meanwhile, the maximum speed in city mode is 45 km/h at a one-meter width.
On the other hand, the CT-1 features an advanced 1,800mm wheelbase and measures 2,500mm in length.
The engineering team at City Transformer aims for CT-1 to have fewer parts, components, and subsystems than traditional vehicles require. Compared to an ICE and an EV, the CT-1 requires only 1,500 parts instead of the 25,000 or 8,000 needed by the mentioned vehicles, respectively.
The significant reduction in components lessens the car’s maintenance and aftercare needs. Additionally, the CT-1 has been thoughtfully designed to support shared use.
Therefore, it will include built-in functionality for “intelligent sharing, fleet management, usage optimisation, and personalisation functions.” It can be accessed through a user-friendly digital interface.
Users can personalize their CT-1 through the company’s cloud-based sharing and management features. Another way to customize the vehicle is to link it to an established fleet management system.
The official specifications of the revolutionary microcar are still unknown as its development program moves into the critical final prototype testing and evaluation phases. However, it is confirmed that the series production will begin in 2024.
