COVER STORY
EVOLVING LEVs W
ith the growth of urban clean air zones and rising online sales, logistics fi rms and retailers
are increasingly seeking greener alternatives for their last-mile deliveries. However, many current zero emission vehicles are falling short in terms of reliability, safety, driver comfort and payload volume, or are simply to large and costly for the task at hand. Two powerhouses in mobility
engineering and design have come together to form a new joint venture that aims to put forward a more credible and eff icient last-mile electric vehicle (EV) solution. Under the company ELM Mobility, Prodrive Advanced Technology and Astheimer Design have debuted their electric L7e category quadricycle demonstrator, equipped with a cubic load capacity rivalling that of midsized vans.
COMPACT AND CAPABLE L7e category vehicles are heavy quadricycles – weighing under 600kg excluding batteries – which are designed to be fuel-eff icient and capable of transporting either passengers or cargo. ELM Mobility’s EVOLV quadricycle has been designed to be the most capable, safe and eff icient L7e category quadricycle yet. At just 3.24m long, 1.45m wide and 2.15m high, and weighing 850kg with
batteries, the EVOLV features two confi gurable load areas that provide 4m3
of load space. This is a class-
leading 60% of overall vehicle volume, says Dr Iain Roche, CEO of Prodrive Advanced Technology. “The concept is all about eff iciency,”
he explains. “The vehicle cabin is wrapped around the driver to make it as small as possible in order to be able to optimise volume and usability in the load space. In L7e category vehicles, you have limited mass, so the less you add to the cabin, the more you can add to your load concept behind the vehicle. 99% of last-mile deliveries are completed with a single driver, and the EVOLV’s cabin design allows you to enter the cabin from the left or right, and gives really good wraparound visibility for the driver to improve safety.” The EVOLV has approximately
double the load box volume of other L7e vehicles, and is half the weight of a compact van with a similar load volume, making it the most eff icient vehicle in this class both in terms of cost and energy consumption per unit volume of goods per mile. The quadricycle’s design accommodates a 1.6m tall Euro pallet with a 300kg payload in the main load area, which can be accessed on the side via secure self-locking sliding doors, and has a 300mm load bed height. The secondary load area, accessible
through rear ‘barn doors’, provides additional space for a 1.2m tall Euro pallet and 200kg payload. Astheimer Design’s philosophy
revolves around removing everything that is superfl uous, and this mantra was carried through the EVOLV quadricycle’s lightweight, robust and simple design. “The architecture minimises the
driver cabin and maximises the load space for improved eff iciency, while the skateboard-style chassis enables a full-size pallet to fi t inside,” says Carsten Astheimer, the company’s founder and creative director. “At the moment, many small vans used for last-mile deliveries cannot fi t a full- size pallet. Speaking to logistics fi rms and retailers, many have started to experiment with L7e vehicles, but are dissatisfi ed with their performance. With EVOLV, everything about the design is fi t-for-purpose.”
HIGH UPTIME The EVOLV has been designed with high uptime in mind. The vehicle’s tight 7.8m turning circle allows for quick manoeuvring in congested streets, while fared in headlights are less likely to be damaged. The vehicle is powered by a 20kWh battery off ering ample 100-mile range whilst still achieving a top speed of 50mph, and when equipped with a type-2 connector off ers 20-80% charge
More versatile zero emission vehicles are needed to satisfy the growing demand for ‘last-mile’ deliveries. This new compact yet highly effi cient quadricycle demonstrator could hold the answer
6
www.engineerlive.com
The compact quadricycle is ideal for last-mile deliveries in urban areas
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
