Freedom of mobility for everyone
They are a familiar sight on the Dutch streets: the notably narrow 45 km/h cars designed for the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Often in the characteristic red color, and powered by an outdated aircooled two-stroke engine that noisily and smokily announces its arrival.
Max Mobility felt the urge to improve this. Electric propulsion is ideal for this type of vehicle, and with a modern and secure aluminum spaceframe combined with plastic bodywork, the extra weight of the battery pack could be compensated for. They set to work with this idea and quickly had a rolling chassis concept of this new microcar.
The choices for the type of OEM headlights, taillights, and windshield were also fixed. We were asked to develop the plastic ABS bodywork within these limited constraints, and making it suitable for mass production through vacuum forming.
The advantage of vacuumformed ABS panels is that they are colored through: scratches are therefore barely visible. Thanks to their impact absorption capacity, a minor collision doesn’t immediately mean a dent. And if there is damage, they are easy to replace and recycle.
Despite its compact dimensions, the Max Mobile has the same exterior features as a full-size car, requiring considerable 3D modeling work. The seemingly flat sides, for example, actually are slightly double curved to keep the panels rigid with a thinner, lighter wall thickness.
But the biggest challenge always comes from an unexpected angle: the sidewindows had to be fully openable. At first glance, not a challenging requirement, but given the legal restriction of a width of a maximum of 1.10 meters, every extra millimeter the window mechanism takes up comes at the expense of the already cozy interior space.
After the molds for the bodywork were released, there was a follow up request to take a critical look at the aluminum spaceframe. The result is an almost complete redesign of the frame, replacing as much bending and welding as possible with sheetmetal and riveted connections. This allows for more consistent quality, and a faster and more cost effective assembly.
Thanks to its narrow width, restricted top speed of 45 km/h, and emission and noise free electric drivetrain, it is welcome on roads and places where regular cars are not allowed, such as bike lanes and shopping centers. The low weight of 400 kg including the battery pack, combined with the very low center of gravity, results in surprisingly enjoyable but above all stable and safe driving behavior. And with the generous range of 70 kilometers, you are not limited to local use: longer roadtrips are possible as well.
The Max Mobile is a completely new generation microcar. Sustainable, modern, safe, and carefree individual transportation for everyone.
