With ELO, Citroën is not just creating a concept car: the brand is formalising an idea that could revolutionise urban electric mobility. In a world where a car remains stationary 95% of the time, ELO imagines what the car could become when it’s not on the road: a space for work, relaxation or leisure. A 4.10 m electric « tiny house », designed not as a means of transport, but as an extension of everyday life.
One statistic has haunted the car industry for more than a decade: the average car spends 95% of its time parked. Until now, this figure has been used to argue in favour of car-sharing and fleet reduction. Citroën is proposing a different approach: what if this unused time could be put to good use? With ELO, the French brand is turning this constraint into an opportunity. Immobility no longer becomes a loss, but a use. And this is where the concept really stands out in today’s automotive landscape: where other manufacturers add functions to the driving experience, Citroën adds usage values outside the driving experience. It’s a strategic shift that responds to the fragmentation of the modern day. Commuting, nomadic telecommuting, lightning leisure activities, impromptu moments of rest… ELO is not just a vehicle. It’s an ecosystem designed to fulfil a single function: to give meaning to parked time. It’s a rare thought process, almost at odds with the sector’s usual practices.
The first pillar of this approach is the 100% electric architecture. Compact yet voluminous, it frees the cabin from all traditional mechanical constraints. Citroën has thus been able to install an unprecedented configuration: six possible seats, a central driver’s seat that swivels 360°, a perfectly flat floor and storage space that makes the most of every centimetre. This optimisation is not just a design exercise. It transforms space to meet three challenges: REST, PLAY, WORK. The driver is one occupant among many. The car is no longer a passenger compartment, but a little room in addition, nomadic and modular. What’s most striking is the way in which this habitability becomes a value in use when stationary. The rear seats can be folded away to become outside armchairs. Seats fold down, positions change and storage areas are converted.
REST : A bright cocoon and extra bedroom
In its « REST » configuration, ELO fully embraces its ambition to be a tiny house on wheels. The two mattresses designed by Decathlon inflate in a matter of seconds thanks to the built-in compressor. The interior is transformed into a bright, cosy double bedroom, with a panoramic sunroof that acts as a window onto the sky. The designers have even thought about the ambience: the rear lights become bedside lamps, a bracket inspired by paddle accessories houses a mini video projector, and a retractable screen turns the car into a mini cinema. In an era when micro-adventures and impromptu getaways are becoming more commonplace, Citroën has come up with a car that doesn’t just park, but also ‘hosts’.
PLAY: A nomadic base camp
With its « PLAY » mode, it becomes a real base camp for outdoor activities. Citroën and Decathlon have co-designed a series of tricks based on one principle: everything must have a use when stationary. The three rear seats become picnic chairs. The doors incorporate fixings for stretching an awning on either side. The boot sill becomes a seat for changing shoes after a hike. An integrated compressor can be used to inflate paddles, bicycle tyres or buoys. V2L technology turns the car into an external battery, capable of powering an electric barbecue or a loudspeaker. In this way, ELO acts as a base for expeditions, a platform for movement, escape and improvisation. This approach is consistent with the societal evolution of mobility: the automobile should no longer simply transport bodies, but also enable experiences. ELO is a clear demonstration of this.
WORK: teleworking pushed to its nomadic potential
In « WORK » mode, ELO reveals one of the concept’s most powerful ideas: turning the car into an ergonomic mobile office. The driver’s seat swivels 360°, a tablet can be deployed from row 2, the projected instrumentation can be adapted to display a video or a calendar of meetings, and extractable shelves can be used to hold a smartphone or headphones. This is not a ‘spare office’, as some other manufacturers have attempted. It’s a space designed for working properly, for a long time, in comfort, with a view to optimising your life on the move. At a time when hybrid working is exploding, when cafés and third places are saturating, ELO could become a highly credible solution for workers on the move, freelancers, students and mobile professionals.
Function dictates form, form creates desire
Citroën claims that function is the driving force behind design. Yet ELO is not content to be rational. Its silhouette plays the card of emotion, of joy, of self-assured « good looks ». The concept adopts a vibrant orange hue that reflects the light and changes shades according to the time of day. This dimension is not superficial: it helps to create an emotional relationship with an object that is no longer just a vehicle, but a companion in use. The huge glazed surfaces flood the cabin with light. The opposing doors open to a width of 1.92 metres, with no central pillar. The roof opens like a giraffe, so you can sleep under the stars. The ELO is a clear echo of the MPVs of the 2000s, but transposed into an electric, compact and responsible philosophy.
ELO is committed to responsible design: recycled expanded polypropylene, felt from Oli concept offcuts, fewer body parts, materials resistant to outdoor use. Goodyear Eagle Xplore tyres, equipped with SightLine technology, display pressure and wear in real time using an LED integrated into the rim. A rare combination of design, use, responsibility and technology. Citroën is not content to simply announce a ‘responsible’ concept: it is showcasing complete material coherence, in line with the project’s philosophy.
ELO: a manifesto rather than a prototype
ELO does not foreshadow an imminent production model. But it does say something essential: the car can no longer be thought of simply as a vehicle in motion. It must once again become a living space. A place. A moment. Citroën is formalising an approach that other brands have only scratched the surface of: the car as an additional part of everyday life. In a world where uses are becoming fragmented, where teleworking is taking hold, where leisure activities are becoming micro-segmented, and where mobility is becoming more responsible and less mileage-based, ELO offers a radically contemporary vision: the car that finally serves a purpose when it’s not on the road. What if this was the real electric revolution?
Source: Citroën press release – @Stellantis
