Peugeot’s Tiny BB1 Concept Car Looks to Improve Urban Mobility

French automaker Peugeot recently debuted a new concept car called the BB1 at the Frankfurt Auto show. The company wanted to provide a new solution to the challenges of driving a car in an urban environment. The BB1 has an overall length of just over 8 feet making it tiny in size. Yet the designers at Peugeot aimed to create enough space in the interior to seat four people. Instead of looking at traditional passenger cars for inspiration, the designers instead looked at two-wheeled vehicles for ideas of how to use ergonomics to maximize the interior space. The driver for instance is seated in a more vertical position. The floor mounted gas and brake pedals have been removed and those controls are located on the motorcycle-like steering handlebars.

The BB1 is an electric vehicle and in order to save more space, the motors were located in each of the rear wheels. The car’s power comes from lithium-ion batteries located under the rear passenger seats. Some of the other power for the car comes from an array of solar panels mounted on the BB1’s roof. Peugeot worked with the Ocean Vital foundation in developing the flexible panels that conform to the shape of the double bubble roof. Peugeot and Ocean VItal which develops new clean technologies have entered into an agreement to support research and development into new renewable energy technology and therefore encourage
the development of research projects and the “green economy” in France.