Oxford-based Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) has launched 2Cubed eCargo, its latest commercial vehicle, based on EU e-cargo regulations.
The new vehicle, which is designed for city-based logistics including food and drink delivery, facilities maintenance, utilities businesses and tradesmen looking for a more efficient, cheaper and healthier form of commercial transport, incorporates a completely separate chassis-cab unit allowing multiple options for the rear of the vehicle.
Fitted to the rear of the unit is the 2Cubed fixed box, which offers a 2m³ of load volume with an adaptable internal shelving system. The development of 2Cubed is in direct response to a significant increase in consumer deliveries over the past six months, and will now become the backbone of EAV’s future production, said EAV.
“The advent of electric bike technology has meant we can now use a bio-mechanical hybrid-electric vehicle, like the EAV 2Cubed, to replace most vans and even cars in urban environments without any loss in business operational efficiency or discomfort to the operator or driver,” said Adam Barmby, CEO and founder of EAV.
With a 2m³ fixed rear box, the 2Cubed eCargo is capable of carrying 20% of the capacity of a diesel-powered Ford Transit. Maximum payload of the new EAV unit is currently 150kg (plus rider), however a new wheel and tyre package, designed to significantly increase the vehicle’s weight carrying capacity, is to be announced shortly.
“The new EAV chassis-cab and 2Cubed fixed box is a big step forward for alternative lightweight commercial goods vehicles in towns and cities.” added Barmby. “We can honestly see a time when the majority of urban commercial and even personal traffic is based on the EAV chassis-cab concept and we already have a solution to almost every road transport use conceivable.
“In our new, post-Covid world, we don’t need to make the environment worse, we need it to be better and healthier, and our ‘EAV eavolution’ plan will go a long way to achieve that. We just need to change wider transport thinking and culture, a process which, fortunately, has already started.”
The EAV 2Cubed is currently in production at EAV’s UK manufacturing facility in Upper Heyford, near Oxford, with several customers currently taking deliveries. Multiple trials are also under way or imminent across Europe and North America, and a major international distribution agreement is reportedly under discussion.
