2007 Assystem City Car

We dreamed it up and we worked with determination and passion to design it. Today she’s ready and we’re proud to present ‘Assystem® City Car’.

United behind genius designer Franco Sbarro, our engineers knew how to turn our most daring ideas into an original, playful run-around vehicle. For all that, designing a really innovative vehicle required each engineer to rethink their own vision of the car. The team members took up this challenge by exchanging ideas and by pulling together their expertise and creativity towards the same goal. All the strength of this project lies here!

Result of passionate work, it created extraordinary interest at the Geneva Trade Show. It incarnates a different, innovative vision of what the car of tomorrow could be, whilst corresponding to current problems in a concrete way.

‘Assystem® City Car’ refl ects the vision of Assystem and its values: teamwork, the passion to create and innovate. The success of this project gives concrete expression to our ability to set ourselves ambitious and yet accessible challenges. It symbolises the whole company’s commitment to inventing its future.

Dominique LOUIS,

Chairman of the Assystem board of Directors

Assystem, engineers of the future

As car manufacturers partner, Assystem is involved in all phases of the vehicle development process, from design to production. With a deep understanding and knowledge of car constraints (standards, legislation, change in uses…), we offer through the ‘Assystem® City Car’ with today’s technologies various solutions for the future, innovative but always viable.

A vision for urban vehicule of the future

Conceived to be driven in the city, ‘Assystem® City Car’ is an amalgamation of technologies and innovations. With all the features that computing and electronics can provide, our vehicle integrates the best of our know-how as far as the environment, communication and safety are concerned. It offers real answers to car problems. ‘Assystem® City Car’s’ Autonomous Motor Units for example offers mobility present in no other vehicle.

Assystem, designer of break through solutions

‘Assystem® City Car’ is a source of new inspiration for the whole car industry, manufacturers and car parts makers. Assystem has designed each new concept with a view to exploring new technical directions aimed at mature car markets with poor growth replacement potential. Furthermore, urban and environmental constraints don’t favour this car market growth so ‘Assystem® City Car’ is an alternative vehicle approach - clean, safe and playful.

A mine of ecological ingenuity

European regulation 2005/64/CE requires all manufacturers to produce vehicles «designed to be recycled» by 2008. Thus 85% of the vehicle’s mass must be recyclable and 10% recoverable, so that only leaves 5% to be disposed of. ‘Assystem® City Car’ has already achieved this!

The prospect of time saving: the ‘Dual Frame’ concept

Thanks to its ‘Dual Frame’ structure, ‘Assystem® City Car’ goes beyond these ecological obligations. The vehicle is made up of two big independent modules: a tubular aluminium chassis and a plastic body structure. 4 big elastomer buffers isolating the bodywork from the chassis, link these 2 modules. In this way the vehicle can be quickly dismantled and recycled better. Furthermore, the use of more environmentally friendly materials such as alminium and plastic instead of glues and other anti-corrosion products known for producing a lot of pollution, makes ‘Assystem® City Car’ more environmentally friendly than most of today’s cars. With no permanent fi xings (industrial glues…), ‘Assystem® City Car’ components disassemble easily. Vehicle maintenance as well as sorting in the recycling stage is easier. Time saving is considerable. Furthermore, the mechanical components (motors, suspension…) are an integral part of the chassis, which simplifies it, reduces the number of parts and lightens the vehicle.

Dual power

‘Assystem® City Car’ offers another «ecological intelligence », dual electric and thermal motors. Depending on the speed demanded by the driver, ‘Assystem® City Car’ switches from one engine to the other. While starting up or driving in the city, the electric system take the lead whilst in more challenging situations, the thermal system automatically synchronises to reinforce the electric engine or to take over.

Reduced consumption and pollution

Coupled with the lightness of the vehicle (approximately 600 kg), the hybrid motors guarantees low consumption and thus less pollution. Harmful emissions are nonexistent in electric mode and low in thermal mode. Finally electric mode also combats noise pollution. Comfort is guaranteed for the driver as well as for pedestrians.

ASSYSTEM® CITY CAR AND ITS DRIVER

A new Man Machine Interface

Assystem has developed several concepts and systems for interaction between the driver, the vehicle and the environment. So the instrument panel functions (revolution counter, speed…), the rear-view mirrors and a number of multimedia functions are displayed on a windscreen screen. If visibility is poor (night, fog…), the external camera images are transmitted to the windscreen screen. Information to assist driving is also displayed.

All multimedia functionalities

A user friendly control unit allows the instruments and the multimedia system to be accessed. Comfortably settled in the ‘Assystem® City Car’ the driver and the passengers can access all their daily multimedia sources:

Internet, telephone, digital television, DVD and MP3 players, etc.

An atmosphere to suit your mood

The atmosphere on board ‘Assystem® City Car’ is personalised upon driver requirements (classical, sporting, vintage, avant-garde, etc.). The settings can be recorded so each driver can find his or her own atmosphere again.

Remote maintenance

The vehicle’s communication capacities make its maintenance easier. Embedded software is updated by simple downloading with no need to return to the car dealership. In the event of a breakdown a telediagnosis is carried out, building up a database of any problems encountered.

ASSYSTEM® CITY CAR AND THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

A centralised vision The windscreen screen centralises and brings back to the driver’s direct area of vision information essential for driving, taking into account the environmental and road conditions (GPS routing, road signs, road profi le, night vision by infrared, pedestrian detection by thermal vision, etc.). The driver is aware of the smallest details without taking their eyes off the road. Better still, the information is available whenever they want.

Sign recognition

‘Assystem® City Car’ is equipped with a high-performance automatic recognition system. It attracts the driver’s

attention in the event of a manoeuvre in violation of a sign: authorised speed excess, going the wrong way down a one-way street… Likewise, the car alerts them if it doesn’t notice a deceleration on approaching a stop sign or a traffic light. Another feature: when a sign becomes visible at the back of the screen, an enlarged image of this sign appears.

ASSYSTEM® CITY CAR AND OTHER VEHICULES

Vehicles communicating with each other

‘Assystem® City Car’ even helps urban traffic control. Equipped with transponders, the vehicle communicates its position to others. Furthermore ‘Assystem® City Car’ warns other users of the state of the traffi c (ice, accident, works…). ‘Assystem® City Car’ technology thus creates a genuine interconnected vehicle network: they recognize each other, avoid each other and provide assistance. In other words, they respect each other for free-moving, problem-free traffic.

ACTIVE SAFETY

Optimum visibility

With its panoramic roof and big glass surface, ‘Assystem® City Car’ offers the widest possible peripheral vision. In addition the four cameras complete this genuine panoramic vision. On the road as well as during manoeuvres, the driver is in control and in total safety in respect of the external environment i.e. bad weather,

night driving etc.

The «augmented reality» concept

The images captured by the cameras are processed by an «augmented reality» system. Developed by Assystem, this software displays information on the windscreen screen to help driving: road conditions, night visibility (infrared vision), detection of obstacles and pedestrians (thermal vision)… Helped and assisted, the driver is safe on all occasions.

Unrivalled vehicle handling

Another original concept, the ‘Dual Frame’ has proved to be a decisive safety asset. Thanks to this structure, ‘Assystem® City Car’ has a very low centre of gravity positioned at the back of the central axle. This excellent stability is reinforced by the diamond shape layout of the wheel and the redistribution of the ground control points. ‘Assystem® City Car’ is safe driven!

PASSIVE SAFTY

Reinventing impact management

Assystem has developed and managed a real behaviour and reaction strategy to impacts. The wide shield at the front, the oval-shaped design as well as the naturally supple plastic minimise the repercussions of collisions in an urban environment. ‘Assystem® City Car’s’ deformable structure as well as the original layout of its central axle absorb and dissipate energy in the event of a high-speed impact. Likewise, the gradient of the deformable structures at the front and back pull the Autonomous Motors Units under the chassis thus protecting the passenger compartment. Driver and passengers travel in total safety.

Restraining methods

With an original installation and proven efficiency, restraining methods are part of ‘Assystem® City Car’s’ innovative character. It offers among others two threepoint safety belts fixed on the central axle buckled towards the outside of the vehicle, as well as two rear frontal airbags integrated into the central axle.

INTELLIGENT SAFETY

Vigilance

To prevent the driver from falling asleep, ‘Assystem® City Car’ detects the slightest signs of tiredness with the help of a small camera placed opposite them. A note for the more appearance-conscious among you, this camera can be transformed into a vanity mirror at the back.

Engine immobiliser

Even without its owner, ‘Assystem® City Car’ thinks ‘protection’. It includes an advanced engine immobilizing system: only the authorised, identified driver can start it. His visual signature identifies him.

NAME:

Assystem® City Car

DIMENSIONS (L x W x H):

3,60 m x 1,60 m x 1,60 m

VEHICLE MASS:

Approximately 600 kg

CAPACITY:

5 passengers with luggage

ENGINES:

Dual motorisation:

A 20 kW electric engine at the front, taking the vehicle up to
50 km/hour and with a range of 30 km, mains rechargeable (80% in 1 hour) – mainly urban use

A thermal engine at the back, 60 horsepower, taking the vehicle up to 130 km/hour, with a range of 600 km, thanks to its 30 litre fuel tank.

ASSYSTEM has deliberately limited the vehicle’s distance range to an average daily urban journey. So its user can drive all week in electric mode, without polluting, or recharging the vehicle every night from the mains, if it keeps within the daily urban journey of less than 30 kms.

STEERING:

Four wheels set out in a diamond-shape for better handling.
The vehicle is equipped with two Autonomous Motor Units: one at the front, associated with the electric engine, one at the back, linked to the thermal engine. These units can each be rotated to 90° left and right and provide a virtual steering lock.

PERSONALISATION:

Modular bodywork that can be personalised depending on your requirements and desires.

MAINTENANCE:

A structure that can be easily dismantled thanks to the Autonomous Motor Units and the bodywork based on the ‘Dual Frame’ concept. In the event of repair, the vehicle’s off the road time is reduced.

SOURCE: Assystem