Articles
Electric Mercury - the Future Delivered
Author: Mac McColgan
Publication Date: 21st June 2004
Launched in Sheffield on 14th June, the Electric Mercury (e-Mercury) is set to change the way we think about electric vehicles. Mention the phrase "Electric Vehicle" and most people will immediately think "slow moving milk float". Not any more.
Under the codename, "Electric Mercury Project", London Taxis International (LTI), better known for their world famous hackney cabs, have put all they know about inner city traffic into a new environmentally friendly electric vehicle.
Designed specifically for the service industry and using the latest technology, e-Mercury has been developed to inherit the legendary durability and manoeuvrability ability of its hackney cousin.
e-Mercury is the first high performance electric delivery vehicle to enter the UK light commercial vehicle market and is available in three futuristic designed body styles:
- Panel Van
- Specialist Delivery Vehicle
- Flat Bed Vehicle
Following customer research the e-Mercury has been designed to make both the vehicle operator's and the driver's life easier.
The e-Mercury produces zero emissions and is almost silent, and because it is environmentally friendly it is exempt from congestion charges and road tax. Having significantly fewer running parts than a diesel vehicle maintenance costs are least half that of a diesel vehicle. Additionally, the body panels are made from knock resistant polypropylene, which are bolted, rather than welded to the vehicle for easy replacement. With the ability to swap fuel cells in approx 4 minutes it's envisaged that the e-Mercury can be run almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Access to the vehicle is controlled to authorised personnel only via the use of a driver proximity key that automatically opens, and locks the vehicle. This is not the only time saving feature for the driver, entry to, and exit from, the vehicle is via a walkway behind the driver's cabin, which also gives direct access to the rear compartment. This allows for the driver to safely exit the vehicle onto the pavement.
Using state of the art powertrains from Canadian firm, Azure Dynamics, e-Mercury promises be cheaper to run than an equivalent diesel vehicle, offering savings of least £1000 per year. Capable of 50mph it has the ability to carry a load of up to 2 tonnes over a range of 100 miles. The e-Mercury is a significant improvement over traditional electric vehicles.
|
|
Traditional
Electric Vehicle |
LTI
e-Mercury |
| Speed |
up to |
20mph |
50 mph |
| Range |
up to |
40 miles |
100 miles |
| Load |
up to |
1 tonne |
2 tonne |
|
|
The first e-Mercury vehicles are planned to hit the roads in Sheffield in 2006, where the City Council have agreed to take a number of the vehicles on trial.
Jevon Thorpe, a Director of LTI said: "We are proud to launch the e-Mercury, which uses the latest technology in a vehicle purpose-built to fulfil the needs of fleet managers world-wide. It is the most economic, environmentally friendly alternative to diesel and petrol delivery vehicles for inner city and urban use. We are pleased that Sheffield City Council has recognised the benefits to become the first to pilot these vehicles."
LTI has received funding of over £600,000 from the Energy Saving Trust's TransportEnergy New Vehicle Technology Fund. This grant is to cover the costs of three demonstration projects, developing two electric and one hybrid vehicle technology systems. Richard Tarboton, Head of TransportEnergy said: "The New Vehicle Technology Fund exists to support the development and demonstration of new cleaner alternative vehicle technologies that will lead the way in improving the quality of our urban environments and reducing the human impact on global climate change. As such we are delighted that LTI has committed to creating these innovative and commercially viable electric vehicles."
The e-Mercury boasts:
- Zero tailpipe emissions
- Zero noise pollution
- Zero congestion charges
- Zero road tax
- The vehicles are powered by electric systems supplied by firm Azure Dynamics
- The vehicles are "package protected" to fit predicted future technologies such as fuel cell and hydrogen body shapes.
- Diesel generator option for a range of over 300 miles
For full specifications please visit www.electricmercury.com
Added to the database on 21st June 2004
Keywords: alternative fuel, electric, green, environmentally friendly, green, emissions, congestion charge
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