Last updated on April 22nd, 2020 at 11:33 am
Update: Since writing our article, DPD has taken delivery of its first ten EAV P1 electric-assist cargo bikes. Five of them are being tested in the streets of London, York and Newbury, while the other five are being shipped to DPD's business units in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Portugal and France.
Oxford-based manufacturer, EAV, has designed a unique-looking electric vehicle that's aimed at disrupting the industry. The company's mission is to reduce all forms of vehicle pollution and congestion within UK cities. To achieve this goal, the company has taken two years to develop a part-bike, part-van vehicle, named the EAVan; the manufacturer is now looking for investors to help the business grow further.
The biomechanical electric-assist vehicle was the result of a partnership between EAV and international parcel delivery service company, DPDgroup. As part of their Smart Urban Delivery Strategy, the EAVan is being deployed across DPD's network. According to EAV, “39% of large diesel vans are often less than a quarter full”, whereby in 2017, London's average inner-city speed sat a mere 8mph. In order to reduce delivery time, improve efficiency and help the environment, DPD is looking to invest in a more sustainable solution for its inner-city deliveries.
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DPD isn't the only one jumping at the opportunity, as a Norwegian logistics company, Posten Norge and Danish/Swedish postal service, Posten Nord, are also accustom of the EAVan.
The vehicle itself is a hybrid quadricycle which uses a 250-watt electric motor and has pedals. It has a top speed of 15mph and can cover up to 60 miles on a single charge. It can be recharged using a standard 13A, 240V plug socket and takes around 6 hours to charge. But, unlike most cars and vans, the EAVan has removable batteries, which means customers can use it at greater lengths without having to worry about recharging. As for the payload, the EAVan can carry up to a 120kg, which is thanks to its rigid carbon fibre frame – impressive.
Adam Barmby, founder and technical director at EAV commented, “The EAVan is classed as a cargo e-bike, but really, we started from scratch and reimagined an entirely new type of vehicle to operate within the parameters of today’s zero-emissions landscape. The modular design allows us to extend or shorten the chassis and change the rear deck configuration to fit whatever brief we have. In addition to the design flexibility, there is also a whole new set of efficiencies that we are tapping into here. Realistically, the EAVan can move as fast or faster than a traditional van or car through many cities because of the different routing it can take.”
Read next: DPD to take delivery of 300 electric Nissan e-NV200 vans by May 2020
The EAVan is also based on a unique chassis, which the company has named ‘Cloudframe'. It's scalable, meaning there is the possibility that we'll see wider and longer wheelbase vehicles spawning out of EAV's factory. It's an exciting prospect and at WhichEV, we love seeing startups that don't confide to the norm. We'll be keeping a close eye on EAV and will be sure to report any new developments.