Oxfordshire-based micromobility manufacturer Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) has launched an ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle aimed at e-scooter companies operating public hire schemes as part of the UK Department for Transport’s managed-trials.
Based on EAV’s EAV2Cubed model, and co-designed with Spin, Ford’s micromobility unit, EAV2Charge has been developed to enable a more sustainable approach to e-scooter operations.
This includes deploying e-scooters when they need to be moved to meet local consumer demand or replacing batteries.
What’s more, EAV 2Charge could bring additional benefit to towns and cities by helping to ease traffic flow in urban areas and support cleaner air by replacing diesel and petrol vans.
According to Adam Barmby, CEO and founder of EAV, the vehicle concept has been “designed down from a van, not up from a bike, including the rear box”.
The first support, repair, rescue and mobile charging vehicles are currently in production and are due to be delivered to Clacton-on-Sea in the coming weeks to support an e-scooter trial managed by Spin starting this summer.
Steve Pyer, UK country manager at Spin, said: “We need vehicles for our operations that moves us towards becoming a carbon negative company by 2025.
“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.”
Tech Specs: EAV 2Charge
Length: 2.740m
Width: 1.040m
Height: 1.950m
Dry Weight: 95kg (chassis only) 125kg (whole vehicle)
Max Rider: 100kg
Max Payload: 150kg
Max Gross Weight: 380kg
Turning Circle: 4.6m
Assisted Speed: 15.5mph (25km/h)
Range: 18-60 miles at full assistance, constant top speed (battery size dependent)
Warranty: 12 months full warranty on electrical system, battery and motor. 24 months on chassis, mechanicals and bodywork
