EAV to launch ‘2Charge’ electric ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle in conjunction with Spin for optimizing public hire e-scooter operations in the UK
FIRST OF ITS KIND ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE IS AIMED AT E-SCOOTER COMPANIES NEEDING TO REDEPLOY E-SCOOTERS TO MEET DEMAND AND TO REPLACE BATTERIES.
WORKING WITH SPIN, FORD MOTOR COMPANY’S MICROMOBILITY UNIT, THE ‘EAV2CHARGE’ IS EAV’S LATEST EMISSIONS-FREE, LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE AIMED TO REPLACE VANS ON THE ROAD.
FIRST UNITS TO BE PILOTED THIS SUMMER IN CLACTON-ON-SEA, ESSEX WHERE SPIN OPERATES ONE OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT’S NATIONWIDE E-SCOOTER SHARE TRIAL SCHEMES.
April 14th 2021 – Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) Limited, the Oxfordshire-based micro-mobility manufacturer, have today launched the EAV2Charge, an exciting new ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle based on EAV’s highly successful EAV2Cubed model.
EAV is already supplying multiple international logistics companies such as DPD and Zedify as well as supporting supermarket deliveries by Asda and Ocado. Now EAV’s latest design is aimed at the fast-growing arena of e-scooter share companies that operate public hire schemes as part of the UK Department for Transport’s managed-trials. Co-designed with Ford’s micromobility unit, this new vehicle will enable operators to achieve a more sustainable approach to their operations including deploying e-scooters when they need to be moved to meet local consumer demand or replacing batteries. The EAV 2Charge will bring additional benefit to towns and cities as they are expected to help ease traffic flow in the town areas and support cleaner air by placing diesel or petrol vans.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the TV animation series, ‘Thunderbirds’.” said Adam Barmby, CEO and Founder of EAV. “In the series, Thunderbird 2 was able to detach its rear container pod and replace it with another which was dedicated to the mission it was going to be sent on. It could deploy a submarine, trucks of all kinds and even a tunnelling vehicle called ‘The Mole’. We set about this challenge by considering what International Rescue would do and how we could develop a rear pod, based on the 2Cubed, which would provide Spin with the vehicle capability they needed. The approach may sound a bit far-fetched, but consider what a traditional van has been used for over the years and we’re equally as versatile if not more so.”
EAV’s engineering challenge from Spin was the development of a support, repair, rescue and possible mobile charging vehicle for the trial of e-scooters which are now being deployed in Clacton-on Sea in Essex in partnership with Spin.
“We need vehicles for our operations that moves us towards becoming a carbon negative company by 2025.” commented Steve Pyer, UK Country Manager at Spin. “But we also need them to be able to carry spare batteries, tools, replacement parts and have space to move e-scooters around to meet changing demand. It had to be zero emissions, lightweight and easy to operate. We couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for, so we decided to create one and collaborate with the EAV team to co-design this new model. We worked with the team and converted the rear pod for our specific purpose.”
EAV has developed the 2Charge as a generic unit which can be supplied to support any scooter rental agency worldwide although the rear compartment can be modified for specific purposes at a customer’s request.
“At the heart of EAV, we’re a product design, development and production company and this challenge from Spin fitted our capabilities perfectly.” continued Barmby. “The whole EAV2Cubed concept is designed down from a van, not up from a bike and that also applies to the rear box. We’re essentially an ultra-lightweight van so we were able to adapt the load space to Spin’s exact requirements. We see this project as supporting e-scooters and other forms of micromobility as it’s a future we all need and really believe in.”
The first vehicles are currently in production and are due to be delivered to Clacton-on-Sea in the coming weeks to support the trial managed by Spin starting this summer.
“EAV is busy developing a completely new range of future vehicles to further enhance the enormous change for the better we’re already all experiencing in our towns and cities.” said Barmby. “Quieter, lighter, completely emissions free and aesthetically pleasing – we’re all discovering a new range of vehicles which are far less threatening and intrusive than we’re used to. The effect of that will be a huge reduction in road casualties as well as cleaner air and a much less stressful experience within the urban environment with absolutely no reduction in commercial efficiency. It’s simply a better future.”
Image courtesy of EAV