This dirt-cheap electric car is the IKEA of EVs

Swedish car manufacturer Luvly has launched a cheap electric car that can be shipped worldwide as a flat kit. The company is already being referred to as the IKEA of the EV market.

Why buy a design sofa if you can also buy a sofa at IKEA, where you can sit on for the same amount of time? Why a very expensive mattress with horse hair if your back can also handle a mattress from the Swedish furniture group? You can also ask the same question when it comes to Luvly.

Luvly’s ultra-efficient electric car

So why buy a MINI Electric for 40,000 euros when you also have a Luvly for 10,000 euros? That will be the selling price of this small and light electric car. The company takes its name from LUV, or ‘Light Urban Vehicle’. Exactly what many people need, a small and light car for the city.

IKEA’s first EV model has specifications that make urban driving ultra-efficient. For example, the electric car weighs only 380 kilos, compared to the 1,800 kilos of a Tesla Model 3, for example. As a result, the city car has an energy consumption of 60 Wh/km, two to four times more economical than a regular EV.

Charging at home

The light weight in turn has the advantage that only a small battery is needed, of only 6.4 kWh. The battery consists of two separate parts, which can be removed. This makes it possible to charge the battery in the living room, just like that of many e-bikes. With a standard European socket, it takes one hour per battery part to fully charge it.

The top speed of the relatively inexpensive and ultra-efficient car is 90 kilometers per hour. Not a racing monster, but suitable for the highway, although the EV is mainly intended for the city. The trunk has a capacity of 267 liters. Not enough to move, but enough space for your groceries and travel bag for a weekend away. As far as Sweden and safety are concerned, things are always right. Luvly uses a sandwich structure with additional energy-absorbing foam material to keep occupants safe. At 10,000 euros, it is the cheapest electric car you will find.

IKEA among EVs

Ultimately, there should be a sporty model, a small transporter and a tricycle, all of which can be built using the same process. Luvly calls the production and assembly process his most important innovation.

And the comparison with IKEA is certainly not based only on the country of origin. Instead of producing the EVs in one central factory and flying them around the world assembled, Luvly ships the parts as a flat-pack.

Micro-factories take work off your hands

And don’t worry, you don’t have to put the car together yourself, as you are used to with an IKEA cabinet. The packaging is made in such a way that twenty cars fit in a regular container. These are then manufactured in micro-factories covering respective sales regions.

A 2,000 square meter micro-factory can cover an area the size of Sweden, according to the company. These factories have a much smaller climatic footprint. Parts of the electric car can also be recycled. More information can be found on the website of the Swedish car manufacturer.