Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator
Prodrive – EVOLV
Designing and building a demonstrator of an L7e category EV zero-emission ‘last mile’ delivery vehicle.
Prodrive and Astheimer will develop a ‘last mile’ vehicle platform demonstrator, providing a cubic load capacity comparable to N1 category vehicles in an L7 package. This enables the platform to leverage sales from both L7 and N1 markets, offering fleet operators a strong total cost–of–ownership proposition. The lightweighting focus is supported by digitisation tools and techniques, particularly leveraged in developing optimal user ergonomics, addressing structural design requirements for safety and robustness, and creating the unique suspension concept, a lightweight vehicle carrying a heavyweight payload demand. It will be demonstrated at Cenex Expo 2024.
- Building on a previously completed case study, the consortia will create a lightweight (L7e) vehicle architecture and specification which is the most efficient in this sector, where efficiency is measured by cost per mile per unit of goods carried.
- Zero-emission credentials will be delivered via a full EV system, addressing both electric machines and power electronics, and energy storage and energy management technologies.
- The first-to-market opportunity directly creates jobs within the consortia and the local supply chain.
- Total project value £1.5 million, with £753,000 funded through the APC.
Project consortium