Venturi Eclectic
The Venturi Eclectic is a zero emission car, running on solar sourced electric power, from the French/ Monegasque car manufacturer Venturi owned by Gildo Pastor. It functions as a small renewable energy production and storage plant (with a roof mounted solar panel and it's wind turbine) and can be recharged at any outlet of the power grid. It was designed by Sacha Lakic.[1]
The Eclectic concept appeared at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, and was mentioned in Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2007.[2]
It is designed with 3 seats in a V-formation, with the driver at the apex, and has open sides. It is an urban car and has a range of 50 kilometres (31 mi) and a maximum speed of 50 kilometres per hour (31 mph).[3]
Eclectic 2.0[edit]
The Eclectic 2.0 is designed on similar principles but is more compact. It has more limited accommodation but would be more readily driven (and parked) in a crowded urban environment. The Eclectic 2.0 was first revealed at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.[4]
Production[edit]
2010 was a strategic year for Venturi with the launch of construction of an assembly plant for its electric vehicles in Sablé-sur-Sarthe. However, despite the planned production here of three types of electric vehicle (the Eclectic, the Voxan Wattman electric motorcycle, and a three-wheeler utility vehicle) the factory closed in 2015. The Eclectic nevertheless remains noteworthy as the first solar-powered car developed with mass production in mind.[5][6][7]
References[edit]
- ^ 'venturi-ev' at ev-info.com (site about electric vehicles), Accessed 10 April 2018
- ^ Best Inventions of 2007: 'From the phone that has changed phones forever, to futuristic cars, ... — a dazzling display of ingenuity' at content.time.com, Accessed 10 April 2018
- ^ 'eclectic' at venturi.com, Accessed 10 April 2018
- ^ Zahari Mladenov, 26 December 2008: 'Venturi Automobiles: year 2008' at automobilesreview.com, Accessed 25 April 2018
- ^ Cédric Menuet, 19 March 2015: 'Sarthe: Venturi ferme son usine de Sablé-sur-Sarthe' (Sarthe: Venturi closes its Sablé-sur-Sarthe factory) at lejournaldesentreprises.com, Accessed 12 April 2018
- ^ 'Venturi Eclectic, an electrical city-dweller' at drivehomesafe.com, Accessed 12 April 2018
- ^ Kirby Garlitos, 25 June 2015 'Voxan Wattman electric motorcycle goes by the wayside', at topspeed.com, Accessed 12 April 2018