Two prominent British automotive companies have embarked on an ambitious project to produce thousands of electric delivery vehicles within the United Kingdom, continuing the trend of innovative endeavours in the vehicle manufacturing sector despite previous significant failures.
Motorsport manufacturer Prodrive and Astheimer Design have announced their intention to build 10,000 one-person electric delivery vehicles by the year 2030, with production earmarked for the United Kingdom. This joint venture, named ELM Mobility, seeks to carve out a profitable niche within the ‘last-mile’ delivery market by offering these electric quadricycles at a price of £25,000.
ELM Mobility’s prototype vehicles have already been constructed at Prodrive’s facilities in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Nevertheless, the specific location for the final production of these vehicles has yet to be disclosed. Investors in the British commercial vehicle market have encountered significant challenges recently, evidenced by the troubled histories of companies such as Arrival, Volta Trucks, and Tevva.
Prodrive, led by former Formula One team boss David Richards, has extensive experience in design and manufacturing for motorsport teams and car producers. This collaboration with Astheimer Design, under the leadership of co-founder Carsten Astheimer, follows their previous work with Volta Trucks in designing and building prototypes.
Learning from the setbacks of their predecessors, ELM Mobility’s executives believe they have identified a gap in the quadricycle market that eschews direct competition with larger automotive manufacturers. Quadricycles, classified as lighter and smaller vehicles with specific weight limits in the UK and Europe, offer a unique opportunity. One notable example of an electric quadricycle is the Citroën Ami, available in a delivery version.
The chief executive of Prodrive Advanced Technology and co-leader of ELM, Iain Roche, highlighted the demand from delivery companies for a small, energy-efficient vehicle capable of carrying a standard pallet of goods. Such a vehicle is expected to expedite deliveries while avoiding the need for heavier, more costly vans. Roche pointed out, ‘The customer base is really dissatisfied,’ referencing the unreliability of some Chinese-made vehicles. ‘If you can get a full-height pallet on a [quadricycle], it’s a gamechanger.’
ELM’s vehicle, named Evolv, minimises weight through a ‘shrink-wrapped’ design around the driver and includes a built-in pallet lifter, enabling single-person operation. Unlike Arrival’s approach of manufacturing its own components, Roche indicated that ELM will predominantly utilise standard parts, thereby benefiting from ongoing technological advancements and decreasing costs. The company aims to employ contract manufacturers within the UK and explore expansion into Europe contingent upon success.
ELM Mobility’s strategic plan to produce 10,000 one-person electric delivery vehicles by 2030 represents a forward-thinking approach to meeting the evolving demands of the ‘last-mile’ delivery market. By addressing current inefficiencies and leveraging standard components, the collaboration between Prodrive and Astheimer Design aspires to revolutionise the sector with their innovative quadricycles.