The 2021 Lucid Air shook up the EV market with its whopping 837km range, but now there’s a new player in town with an even higher number: the Norwegian company Fresco Motors.
Meet the Fresco XL
Let’s start with the most impressive spec: the Fresco XL is slated to come with a single charge range of 1,000km. That’s enough to get you from Amsterdam to Paris — and back.
According to the company, this has been made possible thanks to the vehicle’s aerodynamic trims and extra-large battery pack. Hence the car’s name, I guess.
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What exactly does an extra-large battery pack mean, you ask? We reached out to Fresco to find out and will update the article if we receive a response.
One thing the company did reveal though is the battery will be double stacked on the car’s dual electric motors (placed on each axle), facilitating the 1,000km range.
An all-rounder
Don’t get fooled by the car’s minimalist exterior. It’s actually an eight-seater sedan, designed to perform as an all-weather, off-roader as well.
The dual motors function to provide grip and traction on icy roads, it features all-wheel drive (AWD), and can be transformed into a camper by pulling down the passenger seats.
Plus, you can hook it up to your house and use it as a backup energy storage unit in case of a power failure — how cool is that?
Is it a pod or a car?
Interestingly, the company itself describes the Fresco XL not as a car, but as a pod. And, aesthetically, I can see why, especially when you compare it to something like this from Project Insight:
But, in a more real sense, the Fresco XL is still definitely a car.
In my mind, it isn’t trying to be pod-like, more following the design of futuristic spaceship-looking cars, like the Teorema and the Cadillac InnerSpace.
Whatever you think of the aesthetics, Fresco seems to have an impressive vehicle here — on paper at least. We’re still yet to see if the production-ready version will bring what’s promised to the table. Sometimes there’s a big gap between what EV-makers believe they can do, and what they actually can.
You can already pre-order it on the company’s website, and, yes, it comes with an impressive price tag as well: $114,330.
And if you’re hungry for some more information about the Fresco XL? Well, we’ll leave you with this reveal video:
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