• 21st Century :
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• Peugeot bobslid

Peugeot bobslid

Peugeot, who on the occasion of the Mondial de l'Automobile are launching the first international design competition on the Internet, have decided to set the tone of this event in the field of creativity by introducing four 'toys' evoking the pleasure of motoring: the 'City Toyz', one of which is the 'bobslid'.

The 'bobslid' is a 'engineering-free' electric car with four-wheel drive and three seats, one behind the other, and a totally new interior layout. The structure is in the form of a sort of bathtub/girder made of carbon fibre. On the left side are three longitudinally adjustable seats for the driver and passengers, all seated in a low position. A large storage area is built in parallel to these, on the right. The 'bobslid' has a wheel-base of 2.2m, is 1.69m wide, and 1.1m high.

The cabin formed in this way is protected at the front by a windscreen, then, towards the rear, it is completely covered by a bubble over its entire length, incorporating a glass roof. To allow access to the passenger compartment, this bubble tips up and raises itself on an axis situated on the left side, while on the right a panel/door opens up a part of the bodywork. When closed, the bubble can be electrically unlocked to allow it to slide backwards, providing the options of a sunroof and opening side windows.

Below the windscreen, a main instrument panel in translucent orange material is built around the body's chassis belt.

The car is driven by four wheels each having ten small 500W motors. The centre of the wheel, or rather its body is fixed and supports the ten motors distributed around its periphery. As soon as one of the motors turns, a cog at the end of each drive-shaft engages the rim, the interior of which take the from of a notched crown-wheel. The ten small motors thus turn the wheel, which is fitted with 560mm diameter tyres at the front and 730mm tyres at the back. As the available power is 5kW per wheel, the total power of the 'bobslid' amounts to 20kW.

The car has neither steering wheel nor handlebars, and steering is carried out by varying the speed of rotation of the wheels. This is controlled by two levers or 'joy-sticks' on a rudder bar between the driver's legs. To give easy access to the driver's seat, this inclines forward. It holds a monitor screen and two foot-rests. The exterior wiring is protected by two aircraft-type casings.

The car is finished in metallic red and its interior is orange-yellow trimmed with black.

Year:	2000	Status:	Concept
Engine:	Ten 500w motors	Power:	20 kW
0-60 (secs):	n/a	Top Speed (mph):	n/a

Related Links

Peugeot website
http://www.peugeot.co.uk