L'Œuf électrique
L'Œuf électrique was a futuristic prototype concept electric cyclecar designed in 1938, and built in 1942 by industrial designer Paul Arzens. It was acquired by the Musée [des Arts et Métiers] in Paris in 1993, and is currently at the Cité de l'Automobile in Mulhouse in Alsace.
History
Arzens, a Parisian, and graduate of École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, designed this futuristic, economical, lightweight electric car prototype in 1938, then built it in 1942, during World War II.Car
The spherical bodywork, with a fastback rear, is inspired by interwar cyclecars, and the bionic shapes of an egg, a bubble, or a drop of water. The body is aluminum, over a chassis formed from a tube. The windscreen and doors are made of curved acrylic. Batteries account for most of the car's weight.Motorisation
To circumvent fuel rationing during the German military administration in occupied France during [World War II], Arzens used an electric motor, which was powered by five 12-volt batteries located under the bench seat. Each battery had a capacity of 250 ampere hours, and weighed. The car had a top speed of, and a range of.After the war, Arzens replaced the electric motor with a Peugeot single-cylinder petrol engine, which produced. This resulted in an increase in the car's top speed, to.