In 2006 the Monaco-based electric-vehicle maker Venturi surprised the Paris Motor Show with a car that looked like a friendly little robot. Venturi called the Eclectic “the first autonomous urban vehicle”: a car that could produce its own energy as well as store it.
The Eclectic could charge in three ways: from photovoltaic cells on its roof (0.8 m²), from an optional small wind turbine, or from a normal power socket. Venturi quoted an average solar contribution of about 7 km per day, enough for many short neighbourhood trips.
Designer Sacha Lakic gave it a central driving position, raised seats for a panoramic view, and three custom seats in wood and leather. Under the open body sat a 4 kW motor and a 7 kWh battery, giving a top speed of 45 km/h and around 50 km of range. It weighed only 390 kg, and a full charge from the mains took about five hours.
The Eclectic never became a mass-market car. But it was one of the first serious attempts to design a vehicle around local, renewable self-charging, the same idea behind today’s Aptera, Sion and Squad.
Technical data
| Builder | Venturi, Monaco; design Sacha Lakic |
|---|---|
| Presented | Mondial de l’Automobile, Paris, 2006 |
| Seats | 3 (central driving position) |
| Solar | 0.8 m² roof, Ø ~7 km/day; optional wind turbine |
| Motor | 4 kW, 50 Nm |
| Battery | 7 kWh, ~50 km range, ~5 h mains charging |
| Top speed | 45 km/h |
| Weight | 390 kg (empty) |
Photo (Paris Motor Show 2006): Ton1~commonswiki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Sources: Venturi: Eclectic · Motor Authority