26 April 2012

Raptor powers to an electric world first

Two manufacturing brothers from the Midlands have launched what they claim to be the world's first 'road legal' electric powered vehicle and are already taking enquiries from the Metropolitan police and firms in Dubai and Singapore.

Paul and David Loomes, who are experts in automotive design and electronics respectively, have formed Ecospin Ltd to launch the 'Raptor' (pictured), a three-wheeled EPV that is capable of doing 25mph and up to 60 miles with just one charge.

The duo – supported by the Midlands Assembly Network – invested two years of development and £1.2m the 'green' vehicle and suggest its unique road legal status will give it an immediate advantage over similar rivals.

"Securing this 'world first' catapults the Raptor into the global spotlight and strong expressions of interested have been received from Europe, the Middle Eastand Far East," said Paul Loomes.

"We spent two years refining the design so that it met the requirements of the UK's Vehicle and Operating Servicing Agency (VOSA). This means that our EPV can be registered for use on both private land and on roads, something that will appeal to police forces, local governments and major event organisers…the Olympics is one possible application.

"Initially, we will be looking to build 60 vehicles and then ramp up production gradually until we are manufacturing 3000 units per year."

Author
Ken Hurst

Supporting Information

This material is protected by Findlay Media copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.

Do you have any comments about this article?

Add your comments

Name

 
Email

 
Comments
 

Your comments/feedback may be edited prior to publishing. Not all entries will be published.
Please view our Terms and Conditions before leaving a comment.

Related Articles

More than 9,000 back petition

More than 9,000 people have signed an ISOH petition calling on the government ...

Manufacturing confidence grows

UK manufacturers continue to expect strong output growth in the next three ...

Compressor white paper

Taking the cheapest option on compressor maintenance will only end up costing ...

.

Rolls-Royce, our showpiece manufacturer, says it's time for the government to ...

The Skills Olympics

Engineering's finest will go head to head in a series of events at the Skills ...

Declaration of independence

Fed up after decades in the political wilderness, a resurgent UK manufacturing ...

z

Leading academics have criticised government "empty rhetoric" around ...

Automated meet and greet at NASA

A UK-designed robot actor has beaten off international competition to become ...

Cross with corrosion

Cross Manufacturing is exploiting improvements in plastics technology in the ...

Plane speaking

High labour costs, poor supply links and terrible weather… why does Canada's ...

Magic medicine

They're respected by politicians, adored by the public and a top career choice ...

Stepping up to the Mark

Manufacturers say the job market is saturated with a generation of the ...