Flat Pack Cars to Hit UK Roads in 2024 – Would You Drive One?

And you thought assembling that IKEA bookshelf was stressful…

A Swedish technology company has announced that British drivers will be among the first to drive its new flat pack car.

The CEO and Founder of Luvly, based in Stockholm, says the car is built to be affordable, environmentally-friendly, and suitable for city driving.

“The whole technological platform makes it possible for us to ship the components parts in containers, in a cost and space efficient way,” Håkan Lutz told The Telegraph. “The cars are simple and light and can easily be put together.”

The “Luvly-O” is expected to cost around £8,700 and could be available for sale in the UK by the end of this year. Unlike most other electric cars, which need to be charged at a docking station, the Luvly-O runs on two removable batteries, which can be charged wherever you want.

It’s also a lot lighter than other electric cars, weighing less than 400 kg. It has a top speed of just 55mph and a 62 mile range, which Lutz says makes it perfect for Londoners: “its makers say it’s perfect for city driving. 

“I think these would suit the UK absolutely perfectly, the bigger the city, the more sense one of these cars makes,” he insisted.

The Luvly-O is also built to be exceptionally energy-efficient (four times more than regular electric cars, according to its designers), and as environmentally-friendly as possible; according to their website the car’s entire body “is made from a single lightweight material that needs no surface treatment and goes straight to recycling.”

Luvly says the car is also exceptionally safe, sharing many features with Formula One cars; a surprising comparison given its slow speeds and far more lowkey design. For example, this tiny vehicle sports energy absorbers around its chassis to ensure maximum safety. 

It also comes with some useful features, including an app for your phone – although their website isn’t clear what that will include other than enabling you to “play your favourite tunes” directly from your phone.

But before you get your toolboxes out, this “flat pack” car is not quite do-it-yourself.

According to Lutz, the car is actually meant to be assembled in “micro factories,” which will mean they can be assembled and shipped much more quickly and efficiently to their end-customers.

“If it were legally and technologically possible to assemble in your house, we would think that would be a good thing, but sadly on both of those counts, it is not.”

Let’s be honest though, that’s probably for the best…