Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC), a designer and manufacturer of low-to-medium volume EVs, both under its own brand and for third parties, revealed a lightweight and efficient chassis-cab product set to provide the foundation for next-generation electric light commercial vehicles.

Designed for production of up to 5000 vehicles per annum, the highly flexible 3.5-tonne cab and chassis unit, codenamed WATT eCV1, enables a wide range of electric commercial vehicle designs, facilitating mission-specific models which meet customers’ particular fleet requirements.

The first of multiple commercial vehicle offerings to come from WEVC, the eCV1 uses the company’s proprietary PACES architecture, a cost-effective modular electric vehicle platform. Developed to support commercial vehicle manufacturers, specialist vehicle converters and fleet operators, PACES complies with ISO regulations and exceeds stringent European Small Series Type Approval safety standards.

A cell-to-chassis system means batteries are integrated to the primary structure (rather than having a separate battery pack), thus optimizing stiffness, minimizing weight and maximizing payload. As a result, the clean sheet design means the eCV1 has none of the structural, weight and packaging compromises inherent in electric LCV designs which have been converted from ICE drivetrains and which are further constrained by traditional high volume manufacturing processes.

The eCV1 range features a central driving position which allows a safer curbside exit for the operator, whichever side of the road the vehicle is driving or parked on. The cabin can be configured as a one-, two- or three-seater vehicle, with the large glass house providing visibility making the vehicle safer to drive and easier to maneuver and park.

A further benefit of the central driving position is that it has allowed the A-pillars to be repositioned inboard, thus reducing frontal area and drag, a key metric in designing an efficient electric commercial vehicle. The unique platform design creates generous full standing height headroom, facilitating easy ingress and egress and a walk-through-cabin option that is suited for urban delivery vehicles.

The lightweight PACES architecture results in a chassis cab with a curb weight from just 1750kg, delivering class-leading payload and range in the 3.5t and 4.25t segments.

WEVC’s PACES architecture (Passenger And Commercial EV Skateboard) features bespoke aluminium lightweight extrusions and ultra-precise laser-cut and CNC-folded pieces which interlock and bond together, a technical innovation known as FlexTech.

Designed for low-to-medium volume manufacture, it can be applied to passenger and commercial vehicles including FWD, RWD and AWD configurations, enabling WEVC to rapidly engineer a broad range of lightweight automotive products. With a capacity of 5,000 units per annum, the company’s new UK manufacturing facility will be home to its light commercial EV range. From the outset, WEVC’s business to business services have included white label build provision for third party manufacturers and OEMs, in parallel with its own-branded commercial EVs.