Startup Electric Assist Vehicles (EAV) entered the electric mobility space back in 2019 with a pedal-assist quadracycle designed to carry out urban cargo deliveries, and soon added variants with tractor trailers and refrigeration modules followed by two-seat micro-taxi last year. The company is now expanding its family of electric vehicles even further, introducing a multipurpose cargo van that can be adapted for a range of tasks.
EAV's previous offerings have been designed as low-pollution solutions to congestion, looking to offer a way of moving goods and people around urban centers with a far smaller footprint than electric cars and trucks. The newly announced Lincs (Lightweight Inner-City Solution) is cut from the same cloth, aimed squarely at reducing our reliance on legacy vehicles in towns and cities.
The electric vehicle sits on an aluminum skateboard chassis and is driven by a pair of connected in-hub electric motors, powered by a removable lithium battery pack said to provide a range of up to 100 miles (160 km). The vehicle is claimed to be future-proofed for autonomous operations, and is designed to be multipurpose and adaptable to a range of applications.
"Lincs, in its logistics role, acts as a fully dynamic ‘hub-and-spoke’ mobile depot vehicle, delivering EAVRoRo boxes to EAV eCargo fleets in various different dynamic optimized locations such as forecourts or car parks," explains Adam Barmby, CEO and Founder of EAV. "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."
EAv plans to produce the vehicle in both left- and right-hand drive variants, and interestingly, says multiple Lincs will be able to be joined together to form a single autonomous "Road train."
“Towns and cities are vitally important to future living.” says Barmby. “We have a duty to urban communities, to the businesses that operate within them providing jobs, commerce and opportunities for the future. Our duty is to provide an efficient commercial and passenger transport system that enhances the quality of life for everyone and everything within that community."
Source: EAV
