Charge revealed its vision of electric trucks live on stage at the Wired 2016 conference, showing its latest model among a range of electric vehicles being developed for sale in 2017. The vehicles are built in Britain using ultra-lightweight composite materials that significantly reduce weight. By combining this technology with Charge’s hardware, including power electronics and motors, operating costs are reduced by more than 50%. “We find trucks today totally unacceptable. At Charge we are making trucks the way they should be – affordable, elegant, quiet, clean and safe. We are removing all the barriers to entry for electric vehicles by pricing them in line with conventional trucks, giving every fleet manager, tradesman or company, no matter how big or small, the opportunity to change the way they transport goods and make our towns and cities better places to live in,” said Denis Sverdlov, Charge ceo. All vehicles receive over the air updates like a smart phone and are autonomous ready, built for future driverless regulations and ready at the push of a button. The Charge trucks also produce zero emissions for the first 100 miles they travel, for longer journeys a dual mode can be used to ‘top up’ the battery and extend the range to 500 miles. Charge develops trucks in a range of sizes from 3.5 tonnes to 26 tonnes. Charge’s trucks will also meet new EV legislation globally including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s new “Direct Vision Standard” for lorries, helping to make London’s streets significantly safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Earlier this year Charge became the official electric truck partner of Formula E using its prototype truck for the driver parade and logistics on and off the tracks which are built on city streets. A partnership that helps to further improve final design and production.
Oxfordshire-based start-up Formula has unveiled an electric truck made out of ultra-lightweight composite materials. Due to the increased fuel efficiency, the vehicles could reduce operating costs by more than 50% compared to conventional trucks. Additionally, the vehicles are designed with driverless regulations in mind, and are able to receive over-the-air security updates. The vehicles will go on sale sometime in 2017.