22 August 2024, Kew - Why and How

Kew – Why? And how?

1.       Planetary, Societal and Commercial Need.

Cars – even the most recent electric cars – are entirely unsuitable for cities. They consume too many resources, because they are so big and heavy – and they clog up our streets, especially in restricting other traffic when parked at the side of the road.

We intend to address this by designing and building an entirely new fleet of small urban cars – and developing a complementary business model which can solve these problems. We will address the current environmental, societal and commercial issues, thus allowing our cities to become cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable places for people to live.

2.       Specification.

Our small car will be a L7e quadricycle and have a range of approximately 40 miles. It will have two removeable batteries, each weighing 10Kg and designed so that they can be easily carried. They can be taken out of the car to be recharged from a domestic 13amp socket. They could also be replaced under a battery swapping subscription arrangement or recharged via a lead to a public charger – all of which adds to the flexibility of use.

The car will be under 2.5 metres long – possibly shorter than 2.2metres. It will have no doors, saving weight and complexity, and allowing easy entry and egress when parked end-on to the kerb. However, there might be the facility to retrofit simple but elegant lightweight side-screens at a later date as an option, although the heating and demisting requirement would consume precious energy.

We envisage that the market will primarily be users in the 16 – 34 age group. The car will be designed for a long life, and we intend to develop a circular business model centred around usership, and a closed cycle resource and designed-for-remanufacture philosophy. If we can sell use of the car many times over its lifespan, we will earn significantly more revenue than if we merely sell it once.

3.       First Prototype.

We have already developed a concept design theme and outline vehicle package for our first prototype. The concept images are copyright and registered designs with HM Intellectual Property Office. This will be the basis for everything going forward. We have developed a good relationship with Bath University with 6 students now working on aspects of the technology as part of their engineering course.

We estimate the cost to the end of this phase will be up to £320,000 and will take 10 months. We will need to grow the small design team we have assembled thus far to include a modest number of other designers, engineers and project management assistance. It might well be that Bath University can assist with this.

These costs and timings will need to be confirmed, not least due to scheduling and availability of external resources, such as milling of the full-size model to CAD data, which would then be used to make splash moulds, and the reversal body panels. The materials used, most likely hand lay-up GRP, would be expedient for the discrete purpose of this first prototype and in no way representative of the intended series production material or process. The chassis and body structure can be broadly indicative of the engineering intent but again, would be subject to further development.

This first prototype will be used for design verification and to show to prospective second stage investors. It will be driveable but not approved for use on public roads. We would want to exercise strict control over any public exposure of the vehicle and our venture at this stage.

4.       Bringing it to Market.

Once we have shown that we have a desirable product worthy of significant investment, our workload will increase. The first prototype will be used as the starting point for an intense programme of design refinement, detail engineering, cost analysis, manufacturing feasibility, supplier engagement and testing – both physical and simulated, including further prototypes and pre-production vehicles. Additionally, the business strategy will be refined to include all aspects relating to customer engagement (including development of apps and other UX tools), regulatory compliance, payments, long-term leasing or short-term rental. We will also need to engage with local and national government, to make our case for our vehicles supplanting other less suitable ones on the streets of our cities.

5.       Roll-Out and Ramp-Up.

We must introduce our business to the public with as much PR fanfare as possible. We will need an initial fleet of vehicles large enough to satisfy the curiosity and demand across at least one major urban centre – most probably London. My gut feeling is that there should be a launch fleet of at least 20 vehicles, growing to 60 to 80 vehicles within 3 months. Thereafter, we should aim for around 500 vehicles by the end of year 1. Year 2 will see a further 1,500 vehicles and year 3 will see a total in excess of 3,000 vehicles. By that stage, we should also be in other cities both in the UK and in other near European countries, replicating the growth of the business model.

6.       … And Into the Future.

We never stop improving, we continue developing the product and the business to provide a better offering to our customers. It is worth reiterating, as soon as we have finished one phase of our journey, we continue to the next.

Jonathan Holt. 22^nd August 2024.