| Manufacturer | batScap |
|---|---|
| Body style | 5-door |
| Layout | FF layout |
| Combustion engine | Electric |
| Transmission | None |
| Electric Range | 200 to 250 km (124 to 155 miles) |
| Length | 3,300 millimetres (130 in) |
| Width | 1,720 millimetres (68 in) |
| Height | 1,610 millimetres (63 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,070 kilograms (2,400 lb) |
| Designer | Philippe Guédon (Matra) |
The Bolloré Blue Car is a small electric car designed by the battery manufacturer batScap, a joint venture between Bolloré (80% share) and EDF (20% share)[1] from Quimper, France.
After some attempts to find an industrial partner in the automotive industry, Bolloré signed a joint venture with Italian design firm Pininfarina to build the production-ready version of the car. Bolloré is said to have plans for a smaller version, to be sold under his own name. The first production version electric cars will be deployed as part of the Autolib' carsharing program that will open to the public in Paris in December 2011.[2]
The car incorporates a lithium polymer (LMP) battery, coupled to a supercapacitor, that provides an electric range of 250 km (160 mi) and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[3]
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The bubble-shaped car, originally code named VBE1, was designed with help by Philippe Guédon from Matra, designer of the first Renault Espace and was built by the manufacturer to showcase a new range of electric battery power cells. These lithium-metal-polymer batteries consist of a laminate of four ultra-thin materials: (1) metallic lithium foil anode that acts as both a lithium source and a current collector; (2) solid polymeric electrolyte created by dissolving a lithium salt in a solvating co-polymer (polyoxyethylene); (3) cathode composed of vanadium oxide, carbon, and polymer to form a plastic composite; and (4) aluminum foil current collector.[4] Cars will be supplied by Bolloré, as the result of a collaboration with Pininfarina.[5] The car has an electric range of 250 km (160 mi) and a maximum speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).[3]
The first 3,000 Blue Car electric vehicles will be delivered for the Autolib' carsharing program. Bolloré won the contract to deploy these electric cars together with 1,120 stations with parking and charging stations.[2][6] A total of 66 Blue Cars were deployed for the two-month trial period that began in October 2011,[7] and service began on December 5, 2011 with 250 Blue Cars available to the public. Autolib’ plans to add 300 electric Bluecars per month until June 2012.[8][9]