Oxfordshire-based micromobility manufacturer, Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV), has announced that it is conducting a series of tests to ensure the safety of its new EAV 2Cubed eCargo light commercial vehicle.
“We’d already completed a whole series of safety and durability tests during the development of the new EAV chassis,” said Adam Barmby, founder and CEO, EAV. “Our durability programme runs almost continuously day and night but safety for the operator, pedestrians and other traffic is the real priority for EAV.”
While the EAV 2Cubed eCargo has been designed to be stable on its four-wheel platform, the company said it still needs to prove the vehicle is dynamic in its handling.
The2Cubed eCargo is being evaluated at EAV’s testing facility near Oxford. Tests include:
- Braking – matching the laden weight of the vehicle to the brake capacity, including the future addition of an anti-lock braking system
- Handling – each EAV model must be capable of passing a version of the ‘Elk’ test – an evasive manoeuvre test established in Scandinavia in the 1970s for cars and vans that simulates an elk or moose walking into the road
- Centre of gravity – each EAV model cannot topple over when fully laden, even if the weight is at the top of the cargo box
“Safety is a key element to solving the highly complex transport, business efficiency and social problems within urban environments internationally,” added Barmby. “There’s no point in promoting the health and happiness value of a bio-mechanical electric hybrid vehicle, like the EAV 2Cubed eCargo, unless safety levels and accident numbers are better than what we have now with vans and cars.”
