The self-driving delivery van that can be 'built in four hours' - and it will hit UK streets next year
- Designs for the truck were revealed at a technology conference in London
- Lightweight materials and engine parts dramatically reduce the weight
- The trucks will be 'autonomous ready' when UK road laws are reviewed
- Its makers say a crew of 10 could assemble 10,000 of the vehicles a year, and a factory will open in the UK in 2017
A fleet of self-driving delivery vans could be set to hit the UK’s roads as early as next year.
The electric vehicles could dramatically cut harmful emissions, and would be ready for the switch to driverless technology.
What’s more, the makers claim the basic design means they can be built by one person in just four hours.
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The electric vehicles could dramatically cut harmful emissions, and would be ready for the switch to driverless technology
Unveiled at Wired magazine’s 2016 conference in London this month, the 'autonomous ready' electric vehicles could be the delivery trucks of the future.
Made by Oxfordshire-based company Charge, the vehicles will use ultra-lightweight composite materials, reducing their weight.
But the total weight will be reduced further by Charge’s own lightweight hardware, cutting the weight of the motor and electronics by half.
Due to the low weight and ease of assembly, the company says a production plant of 10 men working two shifts a day could churn out 10,000 of the vehicles a year.
The makers claim the vehicles (illustrated) have zero emissions for the first 100 miles, with a 'dual mode' enables them to top up the battery and extend the range to 500 miles
The vehicles will initially be built at a factory in Oxfordshire, when a factory opens next year, but the firm is expecting 'huge demand'.
But the automated delivery trucks could be a breath of fresh air for pedestrians too.
The makers claim the vehicles have zero emissions for the first 100 miles, with a 'dual mode' enables them to top up the battery and extend the range to 500 miles.
Denis Sverdlov, chief executive of Charge, said: ‘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.’
The light goods vehicles will join Charge's plans for heavy goods vehicles, developing trucks from 3.5 to 26 Tonnes.
Made by Oxfordshire- based company Charge, the vehicles will use ultra-lightweight composite materials
In a 2014 report, delivery and logistics firm DHL said: 'Moving onto public roads is the next evolutionary step [for self-driving vehicles].
'With its history in deploying self-driving solutions in controlled environments, the logistics industry is in a prime position to further shape the future of self-driving vehicles.'
Tests of driverless cars have already begun in the UK, with golf cart-style vehicles taking to the road in Greenwich and Milton Keynes.
The UK government is anticipating the technology will hit roads from 2020 and is already consulting on legislative changes to ready the roads for automated vehicles, investing millions in research and development.
In the US, a self-driving delivery trucks have already completed successful test runs.
San Francisco startup Otto, owned by Uber, outfitted the vehicle with thousands of dollars of technology to make the journey.
The vehicle recently made its first commercial delivery run, carrying thousands of cases of beer 120 miles to a depot in the Rockies.
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