I know it's only a concept, but there are a lot of clever ideas crammed into the new Dacia Hipster electric vehicle (EV) that have me wishing I could run out and buy one right away. There's a lot more to this Kei car-inspired mockup than components built to a cost.
The overarching thought behind the Hipster is a focus on just the essentials for everyday mobility – bringing down overall size, componentry, weight, and eventually cost.
I also appreciate the thinking behind the boxy and bold look of the Hipster. "Our ambition in reinventing the true people’s car was to give it a distinctive and memorable design," Dacia's head of advanced design Romain Gauvin, explained. "A car that can be sketched in three strokes of a pencil."
The concept measures less than 10 ft (3 m) in length, which means you should be able to park it most anywhere without a thought. It weighs only about 1,765 lb (800 kg) and should be able to do just about 125 miles (200 km) on a single charge. That's not much by today's EV standards, but then again, this is about simplifying your commutes, and not taking you across the country.
The door handles are really just canvas straps you can tug at to enter the space-agey, utilitarian cabin. It's surprisingly roomy, with a a high roof and slim-backed seats to comfortably carry four tall adults.
In the driver's seat, you'll notice a portrait-style dashboard screen behind the wheel displaying your car's vitals, and... not a lot else. That's on purpose, as Dacia looked for as many ways as possible to keep costs down.
To that end, it's implemented its YouClip system with 11 points where you can fit accessories that simply snap into place around the interior. That includes your phone for infotainment, cup holders, fans, a cabin light on the roof, and a wireless speaker. The airbag module is exposed on the passenger side, adding to the spartan aesthetic.
At first glance, the split tailgate at the back reveals a miniscule 70-liter trunk: but fold the rear headrests off to each side and drop the rear seat, and you've got a cavernous 500 liters of storage.
There are a few more neat details, like the simple LED clusters for the headlights and tail lamps that ditch custom lenses and simply sit behind glass panels, the Dacia logo stamped into the roof panel, and the high hood and flat side bodywork.
I love the idea of an inexpensive EV that's purpose-built to just get you around town without a fuss, and the Hipster could well be what the market needs.
The fact that Dacia made a working prototype of the Hipster gives me hope that it could one day roll off the assembly line in some form. Hopefully it will figure out the economics to make that happen pronto – or at the very least, inspire more automakers to think about pared-back EVs.
Source: Dacia UK
