EAV and Denso collaborate on EAV2Cool. Photo: EAV

Oxfordshire-based Electric Assisted Vehicles Ltd (EAV), a sustainable zero-emission vehicles manufacturers, is collaborating with Denso, a leading mobility technology supplier, on a super-efficient low-voltage connected actively-cooled eCargo bike.

The project involves developing and engineering a new EAV eCargo model called EAV2Coolwhich will feature a 1.4m³ rear compartment, fully connected and actively chilled to an operating temperature of between 2degC to 5degC which can be sustained for 10 hours in 30degC ambient heat.

Denso’s innovation teams have brought all their knowledge and experience of being the producer of nearly a third of all automotive air conditioning units worldwide to the development of a low-voltage cloud-connected chiller system for the EAV project.

Nesh Cvetkovic, Denso International Europe director of connected services, said: “As more urban locations move towards zero emissions, and even the banning of city and town centre traffic altogether, micromobility logistics solutions like the eCargo bike have become the ideal solution for the last mile.

“A significant proportion of that last-mile traffic requires the option of active cooling that is connected and dynamically traceable, especially with food and pharmaceuticals. To provide this capability, Denso’s innovation team entered into a collaborative engineering programme with EAV, who are the leaders in micromobility solutions, to produce the EAV2Cool.”

The engineering challenges of running a low-voltage cooling system which can maintain low temperatures in high ambient heat conditions and remain remotely monitored by operators are not insignificant. EAV will fit additional batteries to the EAV eCargo chassis to provide sustained 40v power to support the 10hr minimum operation window required by Denso.

Adam Barmby, EAV founder and CEO, said: “The whole premise of EAV is that we rely on being environmental through lightweight. Our mantra is to achieve more with less, so we have been working closely with the specialist engineering teams at Denso to make sure we maintained that weight advantage.

“We know there is significant interest in the market for a fully connected and actively cooled eCargo vehicle rather than just packing cooled goods into highly insulated packaging and trying to minimise temperature gain. We are now enthusiastically looking for partners who operate cold chain deliveries or who have a requirement for chilled products distribution, to work with on pilot programmes throughout the summer.

“We will have a much better understanding of the operational requirements of the EAV2Cool by the autumn and we’ will be launching the production version with Denso at IAA Transport in Hannover during September.”

The effectiveness of the connected active-cooling system will also allow the EAV2Cool to be able to be used for street vending in any location keeping food and drinks fresh. This should also open up new and interesting opportunities for the groundbreaking project.