Oxfordshire-based Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) has revealed the latest development in its range of lightweight, zero-emission urban commercial vehicles – the EAVgo taxi.
The vehicle has been developed as an efficient, environmental solution to urban ride hailing that eases congestion and infrastructure impact within towns and cities.
According to the British e-mobility company, EAVgo could reduce urban taxi and private hire vehicle congestion by over half in the next five years.
Adam Barmby, CEO of EAV, said: “We looked closely at both taxis and private hire vehicles in urban environments and immediately saw we could be more efficient, cleaner, healthier and just as comfortable at a much lower cost.”
The design of the EAVgo taxi is based on the recently launched EAV 2Cubed eCargo vehicle but has been developed to include a separate front can with multiple rear box and pod solutions.
The company said it was able to create a passenger carrying solution on its patented Cloudframe chassis, with two passengers able to travel in the new rear compartment, which has full suspension and lightweight side doors.
Furthermore, the seats and back cushions use memory foam and the cabin can be heated or cooled. The vehicle also provides a video screen for location information and a luggage compartment that can fit a suitcase.
Nigel Gordon-Stewart, executive chairman at EAV, said: “The design is 90% lighter than any hybrid or electric car and, if we just replaced one hybrid Uber with an EAV taxi, we would save about 9.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in one year alone.
“Our energy usage is a fraction of an electric taxi and we don’t need an infrastructure to charge our batteries, just a normal plug socket.”
EAV plans to produce its first prototype this November with deliveries scheduled to begin in spring 2021.
