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EDAG Light Car with Details and Photos

We witnessed a great deal of novelties in the weeks that preceded the 2009 Geneva Auto Show. In this time, we saw all electric concepts, hybrid vehicles, Rinspeed's out of this world ideas, carbon fiber bodies, FEAS and the list could go on for the remainder of this article.

The Light Car - Open Source, the brainchild of EDAG, a worldwide provider of engineering services promises to be a much more fascinating concept than the one mentioned above.

The concept was built from wheel to engine with one feature in mind: to be as environmentally friendly as it can get. To that end, the body of the vehicle is made in industrially standardized basalt fibber (ASA.TEC fiber), a lightweight, stable and 100% recyclable material.

The 100% recyclable material is almost infinitely available. Not only is it lighter and less costly than aluminum or carbon, but it also has the same strength properties as conventional materials.

The body of the concept is based on a modular universal rolling chassis, so adding new modules to the existing frame is a very easy task. This enables vehicle derivatives to be developed more quickly and at lower cost.

Light Car - Open Source is one of the first vehicles to use LED technology as a variable design feature and communication element. What does that mean? It means that LEDs are being used all over the glass-like body of the car to outline the concept's elements. Even more, the LED can be restyled by the driver, to fit his/her taste and driving style. It is the desktop customization of the car world.

The modular cockpit can be reshaped as your heart desires. Whether you want the tachometer in the middle or the climate control gauge on the right-hand side, the dashboard can be configured "at will" as far as size, position and style of the instruments are concerned

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

And if you think owning a Light Car - Open Source will only benefit you, think again. The concept uses technology that allows use the tailgate as a projection screen. Thanks to it, the driver behind you knows how hard you pushed on the brakes and even receive information about traffic jam ahead.

To move around, for distances to up to 150 kilometers, the concept uses an all-electric, monovalent drive system with lithium-ion batteries. The electric drive system in the wheels consolidates steering, brakes, drive and suspension.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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