Brief Summary:
Brief Summary
Invention/Project: Hybrid car "Yo-mobile"
Investor/Company: "ONEXIM" Group (Mikhail Prokhorov) / LLC "Yo-AUTO"
Country: Russia
Period: 2010-2014
Essence: A project to create an innovative Russian hybrid car (initially with a rotary-blade engine, then with a conventional internal combustion engine) with a composite body at an affordable price.
Loudly announced and widely advertised, but completely failed project. Not a single serial car was produced. An example of unfulfilled ambitions, underestimation of the task's complexity, technological and economic challenges in the modern automotive industry.
Creation History
The "Yo-mobile" project was initiated in 2010 by the "ONEXIM" group of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in collaboration with "YAROVIT Motors." The goal was to create a breakthrough Russian hybrid car for the mass market. The project started with great enthusiasm, striking prototypes (Yo-crossover, Yo-van, Yo-concept) were showcased at auto shows, a pre-order was opened, gathering hundreds of thousands of applications. Construction of a plant began near St. Petersburg.
Operating Principle
Initially, the "Yo-mobile" was announced as a hybrid with a unique powertrain: a compact **rotary-blade engine (RBE)**, running on gasoline or gas, was supposed to rotate a generator that would power two electric motors (one per axle) and charge a supercapacitor block (instead of traditional batteries). The body was planned to be made of lightweight and inexpensive polypropylene composites. Later, the exotic RBE and supercapacitors were abandoned in favor of a more traditional scheme with a conventional internal combustion engine (from Fiat) and standard batteries, which already cast doubt on the project's initial "revolutionary" nature.
Declared Advantages
- Low price: A starting price of about 350-450 thousand rubles was promised.
- Economical and environmentally friendly: Thanks to the hybrid setup (especially in the initial version with RBE).
- Innovative: Use of RBE, supercapacitors, composite body.
- All-wheel drive (in the version with two electric motors).
- Russian development: Creation of a domestically competitive car.
Why Did It Fail?
- Technological unfeasibility: Bringing the exotic RBE and the supercapacitor system to maturity in a short time and at a reasonable cost proved impossible. Abandoning them deprived the project of its uniqueness.
- Underestimation of complexity: Building a car from scratch, even using ready-made components, is an extremely complex and expensive task that the project initiators seemed to underestimate.
- Economic impracticality: Maintaining the promised low price while using complex hybrid technologies and imported (in the final version) components was unrealistic. The cost would have been much higher.
- Production organization issues: Delays in plant construction, uncertainty with component suppliers.
- Loss of investor interest / Change in circumstances: Possibly, economic or political factors (e.g., the ruble's fall in 2014) made the project definitively unviable for the investor.
In April 2014, the project was officially closed, technologies were transferred to NAMI for a symbolic fee, and the plant was left unfinished.
Ahead of Its Time?
The idea of a mass-market affordable hybrid car was relevant. However, the specific technological solutions (especially RBE and supercapacitors) were either too exotic and not fully developed or did not offer real advantages over existing technologies. In this sense, the project was more about trying to "leapfrog" necessary development stages rather than truly being ahead of its time.
Can It Be Revived?
The "Yo-mobile" as a specific project, cannot. It is completely discredited. However, the idea of creating affordable hybrid or electric vehicles in Russia remains relevant but requires a more pragmatic approach, realistic cost assessment, choice of proven technologies, and building production chains. Perhaps some developments on composite bodies or layout solutions could be used in other projects, but this is unlikely.
WTF Factor
The main WTF is the sheer scale of the mismatch between ambitious promises (a revolutionary hybrid for 400 thousand!) and the complete failure in the end (zero serial cars). Plus the incredible PR, gathering hundreds of thousands of pre-orders for a non-existent car, and the sudden project closure with the transfer of "technologies" for 1 euro. This is a classic "bubble" story in the automotive industry.
Also, the use of the letter "Ё" in the name, which is unusual in itself, and the rather specific design of the prototypes added to the project's curiosity.