An electric car of the future, designed and built in Cluj-Napoca, is making a sensation on the streets of the city. The prototype has already been approved by the RAR for road tests, and the next step is to go into a limited series of around five. The "Made in Cluj" electric car has a carbon fiber body and a range of 300 kilometers.
The project was initiated and launched four years ago by the startup NewCar4F4Future, and the main investor is Voicu Oprean, founder of the Cluj-based company AROBS Transilvania Software, who co-opted Szabo Peter from Targu Mures and other partners for the design part. The prototype was made in Cluj-Napoca and has already received test license plates, being homologated by RAR, Cluj24.ro reports.
“It is an electric car conceived, designed and developed in Cluj-Napoca. The project was developed in partnership with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN), with companies and individuals passionate about building and testing the technological limits in such a beautiful, but also very competitive field.
In this project we were able to combine talents and resources in design, mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering, as well as hardware and software.
We turned a crazy dream (some would say) into reality: the electric car made in Cluj. The big challenge now is to attract funds for the first production series,” Voicu Oprean, NewCar4Future lead investor, founder and CEO of AROBS, told Cluj24.
The car caught testing on the streets of Cluj-Napoca
“Recently, things have started to simplify from the administrative point of view, in the context that we received the support of all the authorities, so that the car has received the homologation for road tests from the Romanian Car Register (RAR).
The investment so far in the development of the prototype has been around €500,000,” Adrian Donca, Business Development Manager of the project, told Cluj24.
According to him, the car has been type-approved for street testing and the next step is to leap from prototype to a limited series of around 5.
“For this we will have to identify the funding component, private or public, that we need to develop the project. It is a continuous process of research, development, innovation and testing. When we go out on the road in this prototype, we need to make sure that the safety of those in the car and other road users is maximized.
From the moment the funding is granted, in two years we aim to produce a limited series of about 5 pieces. For this to happen, about €20 million would be needed,” said Donca.
What are the features of the "Made in Cluj" electric car?
The “Made in Cluj” electric car is made of carbon fiber, weighs 2 tons and can reach a tested top speed of 120 km per hour.
The interior seats four and is made of faux leather. In terms of safety, the car is reinforced just like a rally racer.
The batteries are Romanian and power two electric motors located in the rear wheels, with a range of 300 km.
The prototype has regenerative braking and no side mirrors, but a camera system with two dashboard-mounted screens.
The headlamps are LED-based, with an LED insert at the front and rear that adds a special touch especially at night.
One of the most important components is the software, and the futuristic electronic dashboard includes a touch-screen center console that electronically shifts gears, including gearshift, without a classic gearshift, and displays various data on battery cooling, engine cooling and energy consumption.
What’s more, the four-wheeled jewel produced by the people from Cluj has no physical keys to open the doors or ignition to start the engine.
The doors open with the help of a sensor – just move your hand close to a preset area on the outside of the car.
Turn on and off with a smartphone app.
The 'Made in Cluj' electric car still has no name and no logo
The ‘Made in Cluj’ electric car does not yet have a name and a logo, which is still a work in progress.
The idea launched by Voicu Oprean would be a survey to determine both the name, which should be Romanian, and the logo.
The project developers plan to unveil the car next January at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and are looking for funding solutions to transport the prototype by boat to the US.