As a modular concept, the e.Go Mover is small PCV that is tailored to DRT and shuttle applications. To go with its capabilities in those segments, it can also drive itself thanks to technology from giant ZF
Demand responsive transport (DRT) using minibuses is taking on a life of its own. The latest vehicle to debut that is custom-designed for the sector is the e.Go Mover. It is the product of a joint venture between German startup e.Go Mobile and a subsidiary of technology giant ZF.
The e.Go Mover is a zero-emission, battery-powered microbus. When productionised, it will carry up to 15 passengers, of which 10 will be seated, and it will also be able to convey one wheelchair user. It is 4.97m long, 2.02m wide and 2.54m high.
Useable range is 150km, which equates to around 10 hours’ utilisation in the urban environment, says e.Go Mobile. While the model has been developed with a basic cab and driving position, an alternate version that lacks both will later be homologated to work autonomously.
That versatility is the e.Go Mover’s USP, says the manufacturer. It makes the microbus suited to a variety of DRT and shuttle applications, both on- and off-road, and the vehicle will also be able to handle more conventional duties.
Homologation of the e.Go Mover with a driving position, including crash testing, is due to conclude by the end of 2018.
The same process for the autonomous variant is scheduled for completion a year later, at which time serial production will commence in Aachen. e.Go Mobile is making big noises about the microbus’ potential; it plans to deliver no fewer than 15,000 of them in 2021.
Skateboard-based
Key to the potential to build the e.Go Mover in right-hand drive configuration – something that the manufacturer says in easily possible – is its method of construction.
Prior to assembly, it is made up of two separate pieces. The front-wheel drive underframe is what the manufacturer refers to as a ‘skateboard’, and it is made from steel. The body, meanwhile, is produced from composites around an aluminium frame.
Passenger entry is in the middle, and while the concept model has a step there, production examples will not; they will be flat-floored. The lithium-ion batteries, with up to 60kW/h of energy storage, are within the ‘skateboard’.
“The ‘skateboard’ is fully modular, so there is nothing to prevent us from building the e.Go Mover in right-hand drive format if demand exists,” says Public Relations Expert Christine Häusser.
Production models will use ZF’s electric light commercial driveline alongside its axles, steering box, brakes and autonomous technology where specified.
The motor’s maximum output is 150kW. Although the underframe in other applications can engage four-wheel steering, that will not form part of its abilities in the e.Go Mover.
Passenger pleasing?
The prototype e.Go Mover has perimeter seating, and it is styled internally in a manner befitting its concept nature. e.Go Mobile says that production examples will be able to incorporate conventional bus-style seats if the customer requires, along with a ramp for wheelchair access.
Unlike some other microbuses that have debuted with an eye on DRT, the e.Go Mover can, with a driver present, share public roads with other traffic. That is one of its major benefits, and thanks to a claimed UVW of just 2,100kg, its energy consumption is low; e.Go Mobile’s figures suggest 0.4kW per km in a ‘real world’ application.
Charging time from empty is around eight hours, but from a 20% battery state that period halves. e.Go Mobile recommends that charging is undertaken whenever possible, although opportunity replenishment via pantograph is not an option. Instead, all is done via the plug-in method.
Destined to fly?
Whether the eGo Mover takes off remains to be seen, but the manufacturer says that it has already received interest in the model. That it can play a part in future urban DRT is not in question; its capacity of 15, albeit including standees, places it almost in the same league as the Ford Transit- and even the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based models that have so far fulfilled the fledgling ventures into that sector.
In the variant that requires a driver, onboard fare collection will be difficult. The cab is well ahead of the centre door and it will demand a potentially difficult movement from the person behind the wheel to face boarding passengers.
But technology is destined to play an ever-increasing part of passenger transport; the DRT sector is undoubtedly built upon it. Interaction between the driver and passengers could eventually become a thing of the past, while self-driving e.Go Movers will take that even further.
The basic e.Go Mover is slated to be sold for around €60,000 plus VAT; the uplift for autonomous versions is not yet known.
But low energy consumption and a tiny unladen weight will certainly deliver running costs that comprehensively beat those of a comparable diesel.
Just as importantly, the driveline being a ZF product will instill confidence, as the German giant has a reputation for well-developed equipment that is highly reliable. The e.Go Mover may be one for the future.
