Goodbye Mobility Red – Artists design new X-Art car

When they create their designs, Alex Hohl and Patrick “Redl” Wehrli normally have the object they’re spraying right in front of them and a can of spray paint in their hands. They apply their artistic designs to cars, vans and train carriages. “We’ve always sprayed the paint directly on the vehicles up to now.” So the Mobility assignment was a first for them. The Zurich-based urban artists had to hand over their design to the car wrap specialists at Christinger AG in Brugg (AG) – only then was the design mounted on the car itself.

It was a challenge for the experienced artist duo that they that they were unable to complete their work in person, not to mention the fact that they never actually had the car physically in front of them. “We had to create a digital concept that encompassed the entire car as seamlessly as possible.” And what did they think of the finished product? Alex Hohl and Patrick Wehrli were thrilled to see the car live for the first time during the photo shoot at Trafo congress centre in Baden. What worked especially well? “We like the colour composition and the vibrancy of the 3D graffiti elements.”

Creative work on the Volkswagen ID.3 began in unspectacular fashion at the drawing board: meticulous hard work is of the essence here. “We always start with pencil and paper. We tried to incorporate our shapes based on the shape of the car. Here we were still working in the traditional way. The final print file was then produced digitally using a complex vector illustration.” Finally, the latter was handed over to the car wrap experts.

There was never any doubt that the final look was to be richly coloured. “The car definitely had to stand out” – this was the philosophy pursued by two Zurich artists, who are now delighted that the VW ID.3 is not only the most recent member of the x-Art family, but also the 500th electric vehicle in the Mobility fleet. It’s certainly a milestone for the car sharing provider, which is looking to electrify its entire fleet (around 3,000 cars) by 2030. And this mission was something the artists took care to integrate in their work, too: “The idea is for the vibrancy and intense colouring to symbolise the mobility of the future.”

And what do the two artists think of car sharing? Life without their own car is inconceivable for both of them, not least for logistical reasons. “When we apply our designs to large walls and have to take 100 kg of acrylic dispersion and dozens of spray cans with us, we wouldn’t be able to do so without a car.” When they’re not transporting their art utensils, the pair are often out on their bikes. “We probably use a bike for 80% of our travel – without electric assistance,” they’re keen to emphasise. And what about electromobility on four wheels? “We’ve haven’t actually driven an electric vehicle yet, but we could imagine giving it a try before too long” – possibly soon in the brand new x-Art car.

Would you like to receive a CHF 20 drive credit from Mobility? If so, share your personal Mobility x Art moment with the unique ID.3 on Instagram with #mymobilitymoment and tag @mobility_carsharing. The car will be available from 31 January 2024 at Baden AKARA Tower station (five minutes’ walk from Baden railway station) and can be booked via the Mobility app or our website. Enjoy!

Photos: Patrick Besch

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