Citroën reveals new electric family car concept, ‘Citroën Oli’

Citroën has introduced its latest electric vehicle concept, the ‘Oli’; a fully electric family car with a range of up to 248 miles.

‘Oli’ follows in the footsteps of the Citroën Ami which launched earlier this year, with the latest concept designed to do the same for family mobility that Ami achieved for personal urban mobility.

Through the use of lightweight materials, oli can extend the range of the 40kWh battery on board to up to 248 miles between charges. Citroën has also limited the top speed of the oli to 68mph to maximise efficiency, while rapid charging capability ensures a charge from 20% to 80% takes just 23 minutes.

By supporting smart ‘Vehicle to Grid’ (V2G) capability, the potential exists for a vehicle like oli to make money for its owner by storing excess energy from home solar panels, and selling this back to energy suppliers, as well as helping to manage power issues when there is peak demand or a power outage in the grid.

Citroën oli also shows how a vehicle can perform as a home away from home, and through its 40kWh battery and a power socket output of 3.6kW (the equivalent of a 230v 16amp domestic socket), oli can theoretically provide power to a 3,000 w electric device for around 12 hours.

Citroën CEO, Vincent Cobée, said: “We called this project ‘oli’ as a nod to Ami, and because it sums up what the vehicle is all about – further proof that only Citroën can deliver no-nonsense, All-Electric mobility to all kinds of people in unexpected, responsible and rewarding ways.

“Three societal conflicts are happening simultaneously – first is the value of and dependence on mobility, second is economic constraints and resource uncertainty, and third is our growing sense of desire for a responsible and optimistic future.

“A typical mid-70s family car weighed around 800kg and was 3.7 m long and 1.6m wide. Today’s equivalents have grown to more than 1200kg, at least 4.3 m long and 1.8m wide. Some even weigh more than 2500kg. Legal and safety requirements have driven some of this, but if the trend continues and we carry on parking these vehicles 95% of each day and driving 80% of journeys with a single occupant, the conflict between the need to protect our planet and the future promise of sustainable, electrified mobility will not easily be resolved.

“Citroën believes electrification should not mean extortion, and being eco-conscious should not be punitive by restricting our mobility or making vehicles less rewarding to live with.  We need to reverse the trends by making them lighter and less expensive and find inventive ways to maximise usage.”

Citroën oli is a conceptual multi-activity family vehicle with sustainability at its heart and demonstrates how ‘best-in-class’ Life-Cycle-Assessment (LCA) can be achieved, from conception with restrained, optimal use of lightweight and recycled materials, to sustainable production processes, and from durability for an extended ‘life in service’ to responsible end-of-life recyclability.

Laurence Hansen, Head of Citroën Product Development, said: “Ultimately, it’s a lifestyle choice more than a vehicle choice. You can choose to pay for all the latest features and artificial intelligence which you only use 2% of the time when driving, or you can ask yourself ‘what is the responsible thing to do and how much of this do I really need?’ oli is a way to say enough, that ‘I do want something innovative, but I want it straightforward, affordable, responsible and long lasting’.  oli is all of that.”

With oli, Citroën is on a mission to convey serious messages about the future of affordable, sustainable and enjoyable family mobility along with the future of the brand itself.

Pierre Leclercq, Head of Design, Citroën, stated: “We took a risk with Ami, and we are taking a risk with oli because we need to push creativity for production. There’s no sense in proposing cool materials or designs that will never influence future production vehicles. That’s why the inclusion of the new logo on oli is significant because just as you will see elements of its design and technology in future models, the new interpretation of Citroën’s badge will be our welcoming new standard.”

Vincent Cobée, Citroën CEO, added: “Citroën oli exemplifies our mobility mission: responsible, straightforward and affordable for your daily life while still aspirational, desirable and enjoyable. It is our guiding light for the solution you’ll want to have as the only vehicle your family needs ten years from now.”