August 29, 2005 The Peugeot Design Contest was the first major design contest to be held on the internet and it fuelled the imagination of designers all over the globe when it first hit in 2000. Here was an opportunity for a young designer with vision to bypass everything on the way to global acclaim – the winner received significant prizes and the ultimate reward was to have their concept produced as a working vehicle and featured on the Peugeot stand at the world's premier motor show – this year the Frankfurt Show. This year the third Peugeot Design Contest saw André Costa carry off the first prize for his outrageous two-seater electric concept car, the Moovie. With the Frankfurt Show just weeks away, Peugeot has now released images of the actual working model that was built from Costa's original concept. It's one concept worth examining, particularly now that the small electric-powered two-seater city car has gone from drawing board to reality.
André Costa's words that described the car went as follows: "What shaped the visual look on the vehicle was the two big electric wheels with hollow rim, these wheels are hollow in the middle, this is where the doors of the car are located, the vehicle has like this big doors allowing the users to have enough space to enter and exit the vehicle.
"The big wheels have a reason behind it, the bigger the wheel less turns it has to make to travel, less turns less energy expended.The front of the vehicle is supported by two spheres, these are purely for support, the car turns by a system that makes one electric wheel go faster then the other, this system allows the vehicle in some cases to make 360º turns which is great for parking and moving in small city streets.
"Also and to enhance the stability of the vehicle, the wheels make an angle of about 10º closing on the top.
"The two big round doors slide along the side-front of the car to waste less space in small parking spaces, allowing a better exit at all times. The review mirrors fold up to avoid touching the doors during the side slide.