At the Paris show, the Swiss presented a new city mini car, designed primarily for the city. It is produced by the Softcar company and this is also the name of its model.
The average car consists of approximately 45,000 components, the Softcar has only 1,800 without any negative impact on functionality or safety.
The Softcar is a small urban electric car, which in the basic version weighs only 640 kg, including the batteries. This ultralight vehicle has a range of 200 km, and is also available in a version with an optional petrol range extender that can go up to 400 km without recharging. The maximum speed of the vehicle is 90 km/h, which puts it in the L7 (four-wheeled) category, and the price will start from 23,000 euros.
One of Softcar’s main innovations is the so-called “skateboard” chassis – an autonomous platform designed for long-term use, to which a recyclable and easily replaceable body can be attached. There are many different versions to choose from, including commercial van, convertible, coupe, etc. Individual units will be introduced to the market gradually.
Softcar brings a revolution not only in car design but also in the manufacturing process. Instead of traditional giant factories, it relies on decentralized production in local micro-factories. This model enables flexible and low-cost production with minimal environmental impact.
Decentralized Softcar factories require up to 50 to 100 times lower investment costs than traditional gigafactories and enable the production of 5,000 cars per year. In addition, they are fully integrable with on-site recycling processes, further reducing their environmental footprint.
All models have passed safety tests for category L7, and the homologation process is currently underway.
The body is made of plastic and the corrosion-resistant chassis is designed to last up to 30 years. The high energy efficiency means that the Softcar consumes only 8 kWh per 100 km, which ranks it among the most economical electric cars on the market.
Softcar is currently starting construction on its first micro-factory in Switzerland, where it plans to start production in late 2025.