Automotive

Biomega channels e-bike design into simplified electric car

Biomega channels e-bike design into simplified electric car
Biomega's Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023
Biomega's Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023
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The Sin electric CUV concept rocks a rectangular steering "wheel" and tablet-like interface
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The Sin electric CUV concept rocks a rectangular steering "wheel" and tablet-like interface
The four-seater Sin electric CUV features plenty of transparent sections to allow for an optimum view of the road
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The four-seater Sin electric CUV features plenty of transparent sections to allow for an optimum view of the road
Biomega's Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023
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Biomega's Sin electric CUV is due to go into production between 2021 and 2023
The four-seater Sin electric CUV features plenty of transparent sections to allow for an optimum view of the road
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The four-seater Sin electric CUV features plenty of transparent sections to allow for an optimum view of the road
The Sin electric CUV sports a body shell fashioned from lightweight composites (including carbon fiber) and aluminum crossbeams with a one-piece transparent roof and windshield
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The Sin electric CUV sports a body shell fashioned from lightweight composites (including carbon fiber) and aluminum crossbeams with a one-piece transparent roof and windshield
The Sin's interior is kept clean and simple, with a rectangular steering "wheel" and tablet-like display, and mesh seats for the driver and three passengers
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The Sin's interior is kept clean and simple, with a rectangular steering "wheel" and tablet-like display, and mesh seats for the driver and three passengers
Modular battery units to the rear of the Sin electric CUV can be removed and replaced while out and about
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Modular battery units to the rear of the Sin electric CUV can be removed and replaced while out and about
Biomega says that the current vehicle has been designed as a concept car, and that structural elements are still being worked on
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Biomega says that the current vehicle has been designed as a concept car, and that structural elements are still being worked on
View gallery - 8 images

Denmark's e-bike maker Biomega has unveiled its first four-wheel electric vehicle – the Sin crossover utility vehicle. The concept brings to mind Renault's Twizy, but has room for four, is designed as a car not a quadricycle and has a top speed of 130 km/h (80 mph).

In keeping with Biomega's e-bike naming convention, the Sin concept has been named after a city that inspired some of the design elements, which in this case is Singapore.

"Biomega has always been about creating a paradigm shift in the way society imagines transportation," said the company's founder Jens Martin Skibsted. "We feel that we are in an extremely strong position to design an EV that represents the frontier of the new mobility. We are working on a new spectrum of vehicles where, for now, the EV is the largest and the bicycle is the most compact; making Sin another step in the natural progression of our ongoing battle against the combustion car."

Pitched as an affordable and sustainable solution to modern urban mobility, the 950 kg (2,094 lb) vehicle sports a body shell fashioned from lightweight composites (including carbon fiber) and aluminum crossbeams with a one-piece transparent roof and windshield, a see-through front section where the grille sits on a traditional car and transparent driver and passenger doors – all to allow for optimum view of the road.

Modular battery units to the rear of the Sin electric CUV can be removed and replaced while out and about
Modular battery units to the rear of the Sin electric CUV can be removed and replaced while out and about

The majority of the Sin's 20 kWh battery modules are housed in the floor of the vehicle. But 6 kWh worth of modular battery units to the rear can be removed and replaced while out and about, presumably at some sort of battery swap facility along the way – though it's not clear at this point exactly how this will work.

Each wheel gets a 15 kW in-hub motor for 160 Nm of torque, and a zero to 100 km/h (0 - 62 mph) time of 13 seconds on the way to a top speed of 130 km/h. Biomega gives a range per charge figure of 160 km (100 mi).

There's a distinctly less is more approach to the inside of the vehicle, with a rectangular steering "wheel" and tablet-like display, and mesh seats for the driver and three passengers. And not much else.

The production window for the Sin EV is somewhere between 2021 and 2023, with a price tag of €20,000 (about US$23,000). The brief video below has more.

Update November 13, 2018: Biomega has provided us with some additional information about its Sin electric car.

"The fascia window opening highlights the possibilities of design using an electric powertrain.

The absence of a front drive combustion engine allows us to obtain a spacious flat floor interior and clears space in front of the driver. We wanted to highlight this characteristic by creating a frontal window that further connects the passengers with the surroundings. In fact, using the fascia window, we believe we can achieve a visibility point that for the first time allows the driver to see the rear wheel of a bicycle riding in front of them.

Similarly, we aimed for large open windows on the side which further connects the passengers with the environment around them. Instead of closing the passengers to the vehicle, we wanted to create a sense of openness through the vehicle's design that allows for a compact vehicle which still feels roomy and comfortable.

In terms of safety:The current vehicle has been designed as a concept car, therefore the structural elements haven't been yet developed to the fullest extent of regulation and safety standards. The vehicle is being designed to be built with a composite based structure. This technology allows for a low deformation factor upon impact, we are designing the car as a 'cage' composite structure which will comply with the necessary crash test standards. Additionally, by externalizing several components (for example the motors are contained within the wheels) and limiting the number of moving parts, we clear the interior cabin for passenger which in case of crash lowers the number of parts that may impact the passengers.

On the side door openings, we have currently avoided using a B-Pilar. This can be achieved through the use of a sound side frame structure and a reinforced door structure. The final product may, however include a B-Pilar column to further increase side impact safety. As mentioned, structural elements will be further developed in the upcoming stages to comply with international safety and regulatory standards."

Source: Biomega

BIOMEGA EV

View gallery - 8 images
9 comments
9 comments
ChairmanLMAO
wow - cool and simple - this will sell like hotcakes at a stampede breakfast....
Cas Tuyn
Those massive A pillars are a recipe for running over a pedestrian or into another car. Luckily it's still a concept, which it should stay.
Ryan Cragg
If it's going to look like such an inexpensive car, it should be far more inexpensive. $23k is almost the same price as a brand new Nissan Leaf right now. By 2021-2023, this Sin EV won't be competitive at all.
ron02
It won't meet automobile safety standards in the U.S., that's for sure. I'd hate to be T-boned in that thing.
Leonard Foster Jr
Over 2000lbs must be a lot of battery, to much weight for what's there.
ljaques
I wouldn't drive that at more than 25mph, let alone 80! I'd hate to hit a filtered cigarette butt in that thing, ron02.
Price is about $17,000 too high. (Who do they think they are, Tesla?) It's the price which is the sin.
Those are rendered images. I can't see how it would steer very much with the wheels like that, nor can I see what would happen with those doors to allow access/egress. They are shown with and without, not closed and open. Methinks they're fishing for more ideas before they even attempt to build one. I think the one in the video was a wee model.
BartyLobethal
Those wheels sitting outside the main body will cause unnecessary drag. The tiny mudguards will further add to drag by allowing the tires to drag air around them, and will not provide good containment of spray and grime.
Where I live summer maxima (January / February here) routinely climb into the high 30s Celsius, and maybe a few times a year into the mid-40s. There's no mention of airconditioning. Even with it that big transparent roof and doors will combine to make cabin temperatures soar into the 60s. Even the mesh seats will not help to make that anything other than hellish.
The clear front area will become grimy on every trip, and chipped/pock-marked within 12 months.
On top of all that, if it were on the market in Australia it would retail here for $35 -40,000.
I would guess there's a market for this. I'm certain I'm not part of it.
TomLeeM
It looks like it was inspired by a wooden toy car of simple design and lines. It looks minimalist in design.
Jason Catterall
Cool, but oh, those A pillars! Recipe for death and destruction right there!