A renowned Polish designer is building a Żuk for the 21st century. Is this the new king of parcel logistics?
The Ultre 4 Cargo debuted at the European Economic Congress in Katowice – an innovative micro-delivery vehicle designed to revolutionize congested city centers. The concept is well-founded: couriers navigating congested metropolitan streets need small, agile parcel delivery vehicles. The Ultre 4 Cargo is designed to meet Ultra Light Commercial Vehicle (ULCV) regulations. It's designed to be as agile as a bicycle and as spacious as a van.
Ultre 4 Cargo designers, led by Oskar Zięta , began work on this small van, reminiscent of Japanese kei cars, with the goal of accommodating 4 m³ of packages. A skeleton structure was developed around this idea. Interestingly, the car takes up as much road space as a Fiat 500, but is significantly taller and boxy. The distance from the cargo floor to the ceiling is 180 cm, and the cargo area is rectangular in shape. The cabin has a single driver's seat, as the right-hand side is reserved for packages.
Ultre 4 Cargo - an innovative Polish delivery van / press materialsFunctionality is the main theme of the design. Low thresholds, sliding doors, and large windows facilitate visibility. A very tight turning radius of 4.2 meters facilitates maneuvering in narrow streets.
Ultre 4 Cargo - an innovative Polish delivery van / press materialsThe Ultre 4 Cargo is, of course, a zero-emission electric vehicle with the so-called small L7e-CU homologation, which limits its empty weight to 900 kg (with battery) and significantly simplifies homologation procedures and operating costs. It has a payload of 500 kg. A significant bargaining chip for courier companies.
The body was manufactured using a die-free steel forming method – FiDU, which allows for the creation of lightweight and very durable load-bearing frames that do not require the use of heavy presses.
Ultre 4 Cargo - an innovative Polish delivery van / press materialsThe Ultre 4 Cargo was created by Polish designer and architect Oskar Zięta, known for his furniture design, among other things—his Plopp stool is on display at the Centre Pompidou. When asked about the new van's appearance, he admitted that he was inspired by another Polish van, the Żuk, which dominated Polish roads for decades. Nearly 30 years after the end of production of the Lublin-based workhorse, we finally have a vehicle that meets the needs of modern logistics.
