EAV launches electric support vehicle for Spin e-scooters
Oxfordshire based micro-mobility manufacturer Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) Limited has launched the EAV2Charge – an ultra-lightweight commercial vehicle based on its EAV2Cubed model.
EAV is already supplying multiple international logistics companies such as DPD and Zedify as well as supporting supermarket deliveries by Asda and Ocado. Now EAV’s latest design is aimed at the fast-growing arena of e-scooter share companies that operate public hire schemes as part of the UK Department for Transport’s managed-trials.
Co-designed with Ford’s micromobility unit known as Spin, this new vehicle will enable operators to achieve a more sustainable approach to their operations including deploying e-scooters when they need to be moved to meet local consumer demand or replacing batteries. The EAV 2Charge will bring additional benefit to towns and cities as they are expected to help ease traffic flow in the town areas and support cleaner air by replacing diesel or petrol vans.
EAV has developed the 2Charge as a generic unit which can be supplied to support any scooter rental agency worldwide although the rear compartment can be modified for specific purposes at a customer’s request. EAV’s engineering challenge from Spin was to developed a support, repair, rescue and possible mobile charging vehicle for its trial of e-scooters which are now being deployed in Clacton-on Sea in Essex.
Says Steve Pyer, UK Country Manager at Spin:
“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.”
The first vehicles are currently in production and are due to be delivered to Clacton-on-Sea in the coming weeks to support the trial managed by Spin starting this summer.
