Polish electric vehicle developer Triggo has unveiled its eponymous first electric vehicle, described as “unique in the world” for the variable geometry of its chassis which allows it to shift its track width from 148 centimetres to 86 centimetres, depending on the needs of its surrounding driving conditions.
Designed to provide “freedom of movement in the city,” the Triggo aims to combat traffic jams and a lack of parking space in many cities, allowing the driver not only to drive on the road as normal, but to compress in size so as to manoeuvre in traffic jams and take up less parking space.
Intended for the rapidly evolving urban mobility sectors such as robo-taxi services and vehicle sharing, Triggo now boasts a fully functional, pre-production version which is ready for commercialisation in most markets, with serial production to begin as soon as 2021.
Able to seat one driver and one passenger, the Triggo will have a range of 100 kilometres and compete in the L7E vehicle class.
With two 10kW electric motors, but with a reduced combined output of 15kW, and a replaceable battery with 8kWh, the Triggo measures in at 2.6 metres in length and variable width of 86 centimetres in shunting mode and 148 centimetres in road mode.
A glazed cab provides visibility in all directions and a 3.5 metre turning circle allows turning even in tight spaces rounds out the Triggo’s inner-city bonafides.
Triggo will start by focusing on the car sharing market in response to the growing demand for “future-oriented” car sharing and electromobility services in the largest metropolitan markets around the world.
“We want to commercialize our project on the rapidly growing market of car sharing services,” said Rafał Budweil, President of the Board and Founder of Triggo S.A.
“We are observing demand for further solutions of this type, especially those based on the idea of environmentally friendly electric cars. Triggo has the potential to radically improve the profitability of the automatic rental service model already at this moment.
“The next stage will be the expected legalization of the automatic rebuilding function of our vehicles and the launch of robo-taxi services, which will make a real revolution in the market,” Budweil added.
The timing of Triggo’s announcement this week also puts the company in a position to capitalise on the repercussions stemming from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Of course, we don’t know how the world economy will proceed, but after a pandemic a lot can change in our daily lives,” explained Budweil. “Among other things, the aversion of users to public transport as a place with a high risk of infection may increase.
In turn, cities will promote smaller and more environmentally friendly means of transport to avoid paralysis. Such a solution may be Triggo, which currently has no competitors in the world who have similar possibilities.”
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Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.