Niche-vehicle innovator Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC) has announced a major milestone in the strategic growth of its unique approach to electric vehicles (EVs). It plans to build up to 5000 new electric commercial vehicles per year under its own brand and on behalf of third-party manufacturers at an all-new facility in the UK.

The offerings will be based on its new state-of-the-art EV platform called PACES—short for passenger and commercial EV skateboard. The highly flexible architecture is engineered to allow the niche-vehicle industry to meet the considerable challenges of transitioning to an electric future by providing a sophisticated but cost-effective “off-the-shelf” EV platform.

“With ever-increasing pressure on urban emissions, coupled with the growth in home delivery, we have been approached by multiple commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators, who are in desperate need of developing the next generation of electric vans, trucks, and buses,” said Neil Yates, Founder and owner of Watt Electric Vehicle Company. “As electrification of the sector only accelerates, what these companies need is a ready-to-go, sophisticated yet cost-effective EV platform on which to build their vehicles—that is Watt Electric Vehicle Company’s PACES architecture.”

The entrepreneurial Yates is experienced in sports-car and niche-vehicle development, having spent 20 years in the automotive industry building rally cars for international clients with his Rally Prep company and providing consultancy/specialist project support through his JSC Automotive. Most recently, he managed Ariel’s gas-turbine range-extended battery-electric HIPERCAR project.

The PACES platform is an adaptable bonded-aluminum platform specifically designed for low-volume manufacture. It can be applied to almost any size or shape of EV, from sports cars to buses. Rather than having a separate battery pack, its cell-to-chassis system means its batteries are fitted directly to the primary structure, optimizing vehicle stiffness and minimizing weight.

The key to the platform’s flexibility is its structural approach. While most large-volume aluminum skateboard concepts use custom, complex, and expensive corner castings, PACES is composed of lightweight extrusions. It is made from highly accurate laser cut and CNC folded pieces that are interlocked and bonded together, an innovation called FlexTech. This enables PACES-based chassis to be low-cost, extremely rigid, and accurately built—delivered to within 1 mm (0.04 in) of variability across an entire vehicle. The technique is said to require little upfront investment in expensive tooling or post-assembly machining, further cutting manufacturing costs.

WEVC says it has undergone a comprehensive development process with PACES over the last two years, fully supported by a leading UK-based EV technology supply chain. Of the key technical development partners on the PACES project, Stalcom Automotive Technologies was responsible for FlexTech, the lightweight, multi-material structure; Equipmake supplies the state-of-the-art powertrain and battery systems; and Potenza Technology (now a part of FPT Powertrain Technologies) provides the project’s ISO 26262-capable battery management, powertrain, and body control systems.

The platform is capable of providing the basis for a range of custom electric last-mile vans, trucks, and buses—and any commercial vehicle type. The company says it can support any low- to medium-volume manufacturer, specialist vehicle converter, or startup, and it complies with ISO regulations and European Small Series Type Approval safety standards.

Production of PACES-based EV commercial vehicles by WEVC is scheduled to start in the Midlands in Q3 2023. The project is supported by Innovate UK through its Transitioning towards Zero Emission Vehicles Collaborative Research & Development competition.

“Thanks to the support of Innovate UK grant funding, we will reveal our first prototype electric commercial vehicle, based on PACES, by end of Q1 2022,” said Yates.

At the new Midlands facility, the company will have the capacity to build 2500-5000 units a year.

“Our PACES architecture and manufacturing processes are flexible and scalable, a first “off-the-shelf” product specifically targeted for the low- to medium-volume industry capable of supporting any type of EV, with a cell-to-chassis structural battery system that optimizes chassis stiffness and minimizes vehicle weight,” said Yates.

When he says any type of EV, he means it.

WEVC is planning on manufacturing its first production car using PACES in November, with deliveries in early 2022. The retro-styled Coupe is inspired by the 1955 Porsche 356a, but WEVC says the car and company are not affiliated with Porsche in any way. The Coupe has “many changes to the exterior and interior surfaces,” along with a bonded aluminum chassis, double-wishbone suspension, and battery-electric drivetrain.

Produced at a facility in St. Columb Major in Cornwall, England, UK, the sub-1000 kg (2200-lb) rear-wheel-drive fixed-head sports car features a composite body, 40-kW·h battery structurally integrated into the chassis, and a mid-mounted 120-kW electric motor. WEVC has completed more than 12 months of testing and development, with a WTLP range of up to 230 mi (370 km) and a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time of just over 5 s.

“Alongside the production of this new EV at our existing factory, WEVC will also establish another facility in Cornwall in 2023, an all-new facility that will focus on the low-volume manufacturing of sports cars and passenger EVs, at volumes of around 150 units per year,” concluded Yates. “Together with manufacturing in the Midlands of electric commercial vehicles, my vision is for Watt Electric Vehicle Company to lead the production of tomorrow’s low-volume electric vehicles.”