Hall Engineering And Design, Pie Valley Buggies and Ecoclassics are teaming up to produce an electric beach buggy. Unlike the original, this beach buggy will be brand new and have no old VW Beetle parts. The vehicle uses new suspension uprights, double wishbones, modern rack-and-pinion steering, integrated hubs, large ventilated disc brakes and a stiff perimeter-frame-plus-backbone steel chassis. An integrated 160 kW motor/gearbox/differential/inverter unit will be powered by a battery pack with 8 1P12S 44V modules giving 350V and 19kWh, which will provide a 90 to 100 mile range. This project is about fun in a sustainable, durable vehicle.

Niche vehicle manufacturers and new market entrants face high development and piece costs. This project aims to mitigate this by bringing to market a generic front-end drive module suitable for sub-A segment M1 passenger, and L category vehicles with a two wheel front axle.

“Out-of-the-box” the bolt-on front-end drive module incorporates an e-axle with integrated inverter, braking, steering, suspension and crash-worthiness. All components will be size and mass appropriate for these smaller vehicles, offering a quicker route to market for light-weight energy efficient vehicles.

By leveraging the partner companies' innovations a cost effective, high energy efficiency module will be produced.

The HELAR project will develop the design and manufacturing of affordable, fully composite aerodynamically efficient automotive wheels which combine lightweighting and low drag in the component where it has the biggest impact on both the efficiency and performance of the vehicle. This combination tackles the largest contributors to efficiency for both the low speed stop/start city driving (inertia) as well as the high speed cruise (drag). This will be a major enabler for significant range extension for both passenger and commercial BEV and FCEV vehicles.

Our consortium is an unusual mix of companies that have come together out of necessity to solve a problem. Whinwhistle Ltd are a fishery, agriculture and recreation business who need amphibious vehicles and cannot use ICE versions due to noise and water pollution. iNetic Ltd are an EV systems company who can supply the electric drive train for such a vehicle and want to become a niche e-ATV OEM. Customised Composites Ltd are a composite manufacturer who can supply the chassis and body for the e-ATV. We have interest in the product from Fire & Rescue and documentary makers.