EOscc2 - An ultra flexible micro-car for mega-cities

More and more people are drawn into the big cities of the world. Consequently, all of these cities have one challenge to face: Not enough parking space and very congested traffic, especially during rushhours. This becomes even more problematic when big cars are just used by single individuals.

Therefore, small, comfortable and safe cars are required and, in addition to that, the electric drive train provides possibilities to completely rethink what we know about individual transportation.

EO smart connecting car 2 is the result of consequent and ongoing research, development, and optimization of the EO smart connecting car concept.

Like its predecessor, it features

- normal driving

- driving diagonal

- turning on the spot

- even driving sideways

- and shrinking from 2.5 m down to 1.5 m

- while maintaining a comfortable seating position.

Big windows guarantee a good perception of the surrounding environment while an intuitive user interface provides easy access to all drive modes the robotic car has to offer.

Moreover, the car’s computer and its auto-navigation system provides extensive driver assistance functions. Autonomous parking, even within narrow and congested roads, is possible. Later, an autopilot will be able to drive the car without a single passenger intervention creating the driverless car.

Designing a possible future of mobility

A team of nine engineers and a designer as well as several students created the robotic car between Oct. 2011 and Jul. 2014. To prove the feasibility of the technical requirements an integration study as well as a detailed physics simulation model was built. Both utilized the final axial modules and most of the final electronic components but was controlled by a “Rapid Control Prototyping” system.

After successful testing a chassis was constructed and built. At the same time, software development was underway for highly integrated, dedicated, and custom built vehicle control units.

One problematic aspect of electric vehicles is the charging cable. To face this issue, a versatile, foldable docking interface was constructed that fits into the body of the car and also allows for connecting extension modules, like range extenders, passenger modules, or cargo modules.

Technical Details

Size: 2,5 m x 1,57 m x 1,6 m; 2 m x 1,57 m x 2,25 m respectively

Weight: 750 kg

Power supply:  54V – LiFePo4 battery

Speed: 65 km/h (40 mph)

Actuation/ Engine: 4 x 4kW wheelhub motors; 10 x longstroke-Lineardrive with 5000N 1 x Folding Servo

Sensors: Hall-effect as well as string potentiometer sensors for angle and length measurement

Stereo-Kameras at the front and at the back

32-Line Lidar for 3D-scans of the environment

6 ToF 3D cameras for near field overview

Communication: CAN-Bus RS232 RS485 LAN

SOURCE: DFKI