Major cities across the globe are introducing clean air zones, soon London will expand the ULEZ, affecting over 200,000 commercial vehicles with total bans on ICE vans looming in the coming years. This drive for cleaner, more environmentally sound transportation comes when demand for "final mile" delivery vehicles is at an all time high. ONS data shows online sales have leapt from 10% to 30+% of all retail sales over the last decade, and instant needs deliveries are still on the rise in urban areas post-pandemic; further putting pressure on last mile logistics providers. We have been speaking with logistics companies that lack a fit-for-purpose solution, delivering good total cost of ownership (TCO) for a Zero-Emission solution combining essential user/driver ergonomics; robustness; reliability and load carrying capabilities. The Evolv consortia have completed a feasibility study, creating a lightweight (L7e) vehicle architecture and specification which is the most efficient in this sector, where efficiency is measured by cost per mile per unit volume of goods carried. During this ARMD2 project, by focusing on the development of lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures, Prodrive and Astheimer will develop an innovative vehicle platform demonstrator, providing a cubic load capacity comparable to N1 category vehicles in an L7 package. This enables the platform to leverage sales from both L7 and N1 markets, offering a strong TCO proposition to fleet operators in a high-quality L7e vehicle. The lightweighting focus is supported by digitisation tools and techniques, particularly leveraged in developing optimal user ergonomics; addressing structural design requirements for safety and robustness; and to develop the unique suspension concept a lightweight vehicle carrying a heavyweight payload demands. Zero-emission credentials will be delivered via a full EV system, thus addressing both electric machines and power electronics, and energy storage and energy management technology themes. The latter will be of prime interest, with the consortia intending to conceptualise a modular energy storage system, comprising of fixed battery and swappable battery elements. The first-to-market opportunity establishes Evolv as a new mobility brand, directly creating jobs within the consortia and the local supply chain. Our confidence is built on customer research, knowing we can satisfy their needs, supported through adequate funding, by developing an efficient, reliable and trustworthy solution with global scale-up potential. Funding from APC enables us to rapidly create a functional demonstrator developing further IP, and providing a means to showcase the idea to potential customers and scale-up investors.

Humanity needs to change its paradigm of how the average car is powered; we need to break the car's ‘addiction to oil’. But pure electric vehicles will not be affordable or convenient for the majority of global drivers for the foreseeable future (current <1% market share). The internal combustion engine is here to stay for the 21st Century, but it needs a new role; working in partnership with an electric motor. The average car should be able to drive electric in our towns and cities, but use the engine for higher speeds and longer distances. This is the most cost-effective technical solution by far, the 'best of both worlds'. We call it "Town & Country Hybrid". The Libralato rotary hybrid engine is an eco-engine for the 21st century, an emerging and enabling technology for a global transition to electrified vehicles which do not require government subsidy and do not rely on a new recharging infrastructure. It is a completely new kind of rotary engine, solving the problems of the better known Wankel engine. It is as efficient as a diesel engine (using petrol) yet half the size and weight, making space for the other hybrid components in standard engine bays. The system pays for itself in <2 yrs from the fuel savings

Title: Prodrive Steam Condensing Irrigation Pump Abstract: A surface mounted diaphragm pump operated directly through low pressure generated by condensing steam. Steam is generated in an atmospheric pressure solar concentrating trough boiler. The novel design is a simple arrangement of diaphragms and valves that requires no sealing of moving parts. The boiler and pump form a closed system so only a small volume of clean water is necessary and owing to the low operational pressure of the boiler, condensate can be returned to the boiler under gravity. A low pressure and temperature steam system means that it could be produced almost entirely from low cost plastics to form a light weight, low cost and robust solution that meets the pumping performance requirements of the brief.