Electric Assisted Vehicles Limited (EAV) have just revealed its new Lightweight Inner-City Solution (LINCS). It’s a modular multipurpose lightweight vehicle designed to provide light commercial van capability for urban tasks, linked to EAV’s e-Cargo 2Cubed and RoRo applications.
The Oxford-based sustainable zero-emissions transport manufacturers designed LINCS from the ground-up in association with Saietta Group, which have created in-hub electric motors.
Saietta’s in-hub electric motors will power a lightweight skateboard-style platform developed by EAV. The LINCS platform will contain enclosed Li-ion batteries and become the basis of the new modular vehicle.
Adam Barmby, CEO and founder of EAV, said: “The operational requirements for LINCS are complex but required a simple solution. We wanted to produce a multipurpose light commercial vehicle as a logistics platform to transform the way we move people and goods around our urban environment.”
LINCS, in its logistics role, acts as a fully dynamic ‘hub-and-spoke’ mobile depot vehicle. It can deliver EAV RoRo boxes to EAV electric cargo fleets in various dynamic optimised locations such as forecourts or car parks.
This significantly reduces stem distances and increases operational efficiency within the last mile. LINCS will also be able to operate as a simple covered urban van or open pick-up or drop side.
Barmby added: “The uniqueness of the design and engineering is in its versatility, packaging, light weight, strength and in the understanding of current and future urban cargo operations which we’ve already been successfully developing with our current EAV models.”
LINCS is built on an aluminium skateboard chassis platform using two linked in-hub motors from Saietta Group. The chassis contains EAV’s standard removable interchangeable Li-ion battery pack providing a range of up to 100 miles (161km) within an urban or intra-urban environment.
Uniquely, LINCS also features a ‘road train’ capability where, on inter-urban or urban deployments, multiple LINCS can be linked together into a single autonomous vehicle.
LINCS has also been designed and future-proofed for fully autonomous operations which will be developed in conjunction with EAV’s leading technology partners.
Nigel Gordon-Stewart, EAV executive chairman, said: “EAV is much more than an eCargo bike company. We’re a transport technology solutions business.
“LINCS is the next step in our programme which sees a complete replacement of legacy urban road transport with new, sustainable, zero-emissions, environmentally-friendly, safe, but extremely efficient, solutions for cargo and passengers.”
