Aixam Mega Challenges Government’s Low Carbon Vehicle Strategy

December 1, 2008 · 27 Views

Electric vehicle manufacturer Aixam Mega – www.mega-electric.co.uk - is asking the government to rethink its low carbon vehicle strategy, after the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies (Cenex) decided to fund local authority trials of electric vehicles from just five van makers.

Aixam Mega’s UK managing director Lawrence Holland said the Cenex decision –which can be reviewed at www.cenex.co.uk - is disappointing, because it ignores many of the electric vehicles that are already proven in the local authority sector.

He said: “Creating a vehicle fleet that is genuinely as environmentally-friendly and cost-effective as possible relies not only on choosing efficient alternative-fuel models, but also on specifying the right vehicle for the job, based on payload, dimensions, and charging and maintenance costs.

“This means using larger vehicles only when the task demands it. A significant proportion of local authority journeys are short and many cargoes are small and light. It is not efficient to use a car-derived van or something even bigger in these cases.”

Aixam Mega manufactures Mega Multitrucks, which is the UK’s leading range of ultra-light electric commercial vehicles, and Mega City two and four seat private electric vehicles, which are marketed in London by NiceCar and are now available more widely direct from Aixam Mega.

Both are already used by some local authorities – Mega Multitrucks primarily for use in groundcare applications and for tasks such as town centre litter collections, and the Mega City as pool vehicles for urban journeys.

They are specifically designed for use in urban locations or in campus-style environments, where short-hop journeys and frequent stops are called-for, and Lawrence Holland says that this makes them well-suited for use under Cenex’s Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme (LCVPP).

He said: “Aixam Mega’s technology is well-proven. We beat mainstream manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and PSA Peugeot Citroen to the title European Light Commercial Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year at the European GreenFleet Awards this summer (see www.mega-electric.co.uk).

“The judges said that our vehicles have the potential to make a real difference to transport emissions in cities throughout Europe.

“With this in mind it is disappointing that they have not been included in this pilot scheme, but we have high hopes that they can be included in subsequent stages of the programme.”

The Mega City has a range of around 40 miles on a full charge, depending on driving style and road conditions, and a top speed of 40 miles per hour, while Multitrucks have a range of around 60 miles and a top speed of 30mph. Both cost around 1.5p per mile to charge up.

Made from ABS acrylic body panels mounted on a rigid aluminium chassis and safety cell, they are also corrosion-resistant and almost 100 per cent recyclable at the end of their working life.

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