Prodrive and Astheimer reveal radical last-mile delivery EV

Prodrive Advanced Technology and Astheimer Design have unveiled a new last-mile delivery EV which they plan to put into production, priced from around £25,000.

The EVOLV concept is an electric quadricycle designed as a compact zero-emissions delivery vehicle for urban environments.

The firms say the EVOLV is a response to current options which “fall short in terms of reliability, safety, driver comfort and payload volume, or are simply too large and costly for the task”.

Developed in just 12 months, the EVOLV can accommodate two Euro pallets with payload of up to 500kg and has been built to meet small van passive safety standards.

Designed to L7e quadricycle requirements, allowing it to be driven with a standard car licence, the EVOLV is 3,240mm long, 1,450mm wide, 2,150mm high and weighs 850kg with batteries. Cargo space has been given priority, allowing for two configurable load areas providing 4m³ of load space, around twice that of most L7e alternatives.

The main cargo space is accessed by sliding doors on either side of the vehicle and can accommodate a Euro pallet with up to 300kg of cargo stacked to 1.6m. At the rear barn-style doors open onto a second space capable of holding a 1.2m tall Euro pallet with a load of up to 200kg. An optional stowable pallet truck is also available to ease loading and unloading.

Based on analysis of the duty cycles of last-mile vehicles, the EVOLV’s designers have fitted it with a 20kWh battery that should give around 100 miles of range and charge from 20-80% in around two hours via a type 2 connector. Maximum speed is expected to be around 50mph.

“EVOLV demonstrates how our collective innovative design and engineering can push the boundaries of what a last mile EV can achieve,” says Dr Iain Roche, CEO of Prodrive Advanced Technology. “With EVOLV, a compact footprint can go hand-in-hand with serious capability and efficiency. EVOLV offers the best of both worlds, injecting versatility without compromise into a logistics fleet.”

The concept vehicle was unveiled at the Cenex Expo 2024 technology show but the two companies have set up a new venture to bring it to market. Known as ELM Mobility, it aims to put the EVOLV into production for a 2028 release, with prices starting at around £25,000.