Ford’s micromobility subsidiary, Spin, is to employ ultra-lightweight electric and pedal powered vehicles to move its e-scooters around Chelmsford. The firm will also make use of the Colchester E-Cargo Bike Delivery Service to replace the batteries in its rental scooters there.
Earlier this year, Cycling Industry News reported that Spin had commissioned EAV to create a version of the firm’s 2Cubed pedal-assisted electric four-wheeler. The new version is called 2Charge.
Spin’s UK general manager, Anthony Jackson, explained: “We needed it to be able to carry spare batteries, tools, replacement parts and have space to recover or swap out our e-scooters. It had to be zero emissions, lightweight, easy to operate and as environmentally focused as possible.
“We’ve known EAV for some time and the 2Cubed was the logical choice. We just needed EAV to convert the rear pod for our specific purpose and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the 2Charge.”
CEO and Founder of EAV, Adam Barmby, said the 2Cubed concept is, “designed down from a van, not up from a bike,” which meant the load space could be adapted to Spin’s exact requirements.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the TV animation series, Thunderbirds,” he said. “In the series, Thunderbird 2 was able to detach its rear container pod and replace it with another which was dedicated to the mission it was going to be sent on. It could deploy a submarine, trucks of all kinds and even a tunnelling vehicle called The Mole.
“We set about this challenge by considering what International Rescue would do and how we could develop a rear pod, based on the 2Cubed, which would provide Spin with the vehicle capability they needed.
“The approach may sound a bit far-fetched but consider what the Ford Transit has been used for over the years and we’re equally as versatile.”
> Remote controlled three-wheeled e-scooters launched by Spin in bid to combat parking issues
Meanwhile, in Colchester, Spin is trialling the use of a local e-cargo bike delivery service to perform a similar job.
Colchester E-Cargo Bike Delivery Project founder Lee Pugh and his team will replace approximately 20-30 low-charged batteries a day, taking them to be charged at various points around town. They will do this while doing deliveries for their other customers.
“We are proud to support like-minded businesses such as Spin, who also want to tackle carbon emissions and create a greener transport system in Essex,” said Pugh.
“We’re delighted to be able to contribute towards achieving cleaner air in the town and help educate the local community on why e-scooters need to be part of our future transport system. And on top of that, it keeps us in great shape as each bike weighs about 250kg when loaded with packages and batteries so it’s a real workout to pedal around.”
