Mandalaki Studio, in collaboration with Estrima and the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, developed what they say is the first electric car concept made with 80 per cent recycled plastic.

The car, called Biró O2, is inspired by the Biró car, developed by Estrima. Biró is a tiny electric car that looks a little like a golf cart and is designed to commute. It has a removable battery.

Mandalaki’s version of the car contains the higher percentage of recycled plastic than any other vehicle on the market. Rather than thick, high-density ABS like in the main body of the original, Mandalaki eliminated all parts that weren’t strictly necessary and replaced the ABS with waste material left behind after road maintenance, like cones and signboards. These elements were ground into a fine powder and moulded into the structural parts of the vehicle.

Other parts of the car, like the seats and the steering wheel, are made from various types of non-recycled plastic, like thermoformed PVC.

“To give shape to this concept of purity and sustainability, the studio has developed a livery that recalls the air flow: a bubble of pure oxygen that moves silently in our cities,” Mandalaki states on their website.

The vehicle has a top speed of 65 kilometres per hour and can travel 100 kilometres on each charge. The model is aimed to be commercially available soon, and the studio is working on a version made of 100 per cent recycled plastic.

Photos: Mandalaki