Prodrive Advanced Technology and Astheimer Design have pooled their design, engineering, and prototype/low-volume manufacturing expertise to create the Evolv compact and efficient last-mile electric quadricycle demonstrator with a cubic load capacity said to rival mid-size vans. Revealed last month at Cenex Expo 2024, the first working demonstrator was shown just 12 months after the project got support from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).

The Evolv is one of 10 Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator competition projects to receive support from the UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade, through its APC and receiving a share of its £22.7 million investment. Prodrive says its in-house capability to design, develop, and produce high-quality production intent parts in low volume, and assemble and evaluate a vehicle, ensured it was possible to achieve the APC’s requirement to display a demonstrator just one year later.

With rising online sales and more urban areas creating clean air zones, the partners are attempting to meet the needs of retailers and logistics firms that are increasingly seeking versatile, zero-emission vehicles to satisfy the growing demand for last-mile deliveries. They are setting out to create a credible and more efficient solution to current vehicles they say fall short in terms of reliability, safety, driver comfort, and payload volume, or are simply too large and costly for the tasks at hand.

The vision was to create the most capable, safe, and efficient L7e category quadricycle weighing under 600 kg (1320 lb) excluding batteries that can be driven with a standard car license. At just 3240 mm (127.5 in) long, 1450 mm (57.1 in) wide, 2150 mm (84.6 in) tall, and weighing 850 kg (1874 lb) with batteries.

“Everything about the design of Evolv is fit-for-purpose,” explained Carsten Astheimer, Founder and creative director of Astheimer Design. “It’s lightweight, robust, and simple, which fits harmoniously with the Astheimer Design philosophy of removing everything superfluous. The result is iconic in its simplicity, with the platform adaptable to the individual needs of each customer.”

The architecture minimizes the driver package and maximizes the load space, with the demonstrator having two configurable load areas providing 4 m³ (141 ft³) of space, achieving a claimed class-leading 60% of overall vehicle volume. It has about double the load box volume of other L7e vehicles and is half the weight of a compact van with a similar load volume, making it the most efficient vehicle in its class in terms of cost and energy consumption per unit volume of goods per mile.

“Evolv demonstrates how our collective innovative design and engineering can push the boundaries of what a last mile EV can achieve,” said 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.”

Groundbreaking versatility and load space volume are said to set Evolv apart in the L7e category. It accommodates a 1.6 m (5.2 ft) tall Euro pallet with a 300-kg (660-lb) payload in the main load area. It is accessed on the side via secure self-locking sliding doors and has a 300-mm (11.8 in) load bed height. The secondary load area, accessible through rear “barn doors,” provides additional space for a 1.2 m (3.9 ft) tall Euro pallet and 200-kg (440-lb) payload. As retailers rarely have the means to carry stock to the store, an optional stowable pallet truck, capable of lifting up to 300 kg, ensures that Evolv’s operators can singlehandedly and efficiently deliver the goods to the door.

Prodrive Advanced Technology decided to change the game in the L7e sector by engineering Evolv to meet N1 (small van) passive safety crash standards, spanning front, side, and roof crash performance as well as pedestrian impact and driver safety requirements. Fared-in headlights are less likely to be damaged should an incident occur, while the robust modular body panels can be replaced swiftly should a more significant impact happen.

The interior was designed around driver ergonomics, offering a comfortable work environment with an intuitive user interface and allowing for an easy transition from one driver to the next. The central driver seat offers easy access from either side, provides better visibility of pedestrians and cyclists through the wraparound windscreen, and streamlines the number of variants for the UK and European markets. A tight 7.8-m (25.6-ft) turning circle, comparable to a London taxi’s, allows for quick maneuvering on congested streets.

From the analysis of duty cycles for last-mile EVs, engineers determined that a 20-kWh battery has the potential to meet industry demand, offering an ample 100-mi (160-km) range while still achieving a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). Other battery capacities are under consideration for the production models and will be explored in the next phase of development. Mindful that most operators would have access to existing infrastructure to charge overnight affordably when equipped with a Type-2 connector, Evolv is predicted to charge from 20% to 80% in less than 2 h.

Recognizing the potential of the project, Prodrive Advanced Technology and Astheimer Design have created a new joint venture to take it into production, with Roche and Astheimer as co-CEOs of the new entity. Launched last month, ELM Mobility aims to create the first ground-up, fit-for-purpose, last-mile delivery platform to make “a positive difference to cities around the world.”

“We have a clear vision for ELM Mobility to be a leader in zero-emission last-mile transport,” said Roche. “Together with Astheimer, we have assembled a talented team comprising logistics specialists, designers, and engineers to identify, solve, and deliver solutions that will make a difference to this segment. We have already made significant progress, drawing on the brilliant minds across the two businesses to get a working demonstrator running in under 12 months.”

The Evolv demonstrator will be used to progress ongoing discussions with stakeholders and potential customers in logistics, retailing, and food deliveries.

“Astheimer and Prodrive has a rich history in developing commercial vehicles together, and the idea of developing a purpose-built last-mile delivery vehicle came to us as a result of these projects and insights,” added Astheimer. “Funding from the Niche Vehicle Network, the APC, and a private investor has supported us along the way to this point of proving out the concept by developing an initial prototype to physically demonstrate the vehicle attributes and to get market feedback. ELM Mobility has been created to take the concept to market, and to become an iconic UK brand.”

ELM Mobility will next take the project into the production readiness phase ahead of certification. Pre-series production vehicles will be trialed by customers, with the start of UK production planned for 2028. Prices are expected to start from around £25,000.