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Electrics—a nem step forward
Page 26
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THE SUBJECT of electric vehicles and their feasibility is raised from time to time, but nothing appears to have happened, with no super vehicle arriving on the scene.
Although battery-operated vehicles generally still suffer from a limited operating range, technology has now approached the stage where certain types of light transport vejlicles — excluding milk floats — have been produced and are being evaluated.
For instance, the Greater London Council and the Department of Industry are beginning a three-year assessment of electric vehicles operating in the London area.
It is understood that over 60 vehicles powered by Chloride, Crompton and Lucas electrical systems will be operated by some London boroughs and other organisations.
The objective of the scheme is to obtain reliable data on performance, running costs, ease of repair, energy consumption and drivers' reactions.
The vehicles will be delivery vans with payloads from 0.75 to 2 tonnes and will be employed on a variety of duties under urban traffic conditions.
Chloride and. Lucas have both concentrated on modifying an existing vehicle design. Chloride's offering is the Silent Karrier which is the 35cwt delivery van already developed as a joint venture with Chrysler and the National Freight Corporation.
This has a range of approximately 65 miles between charges. Sixteen of these are now on the Chrysler production lines at Dunstable for evaluation by users such as National Carriers, W. H. Smith & Son, Rank Hovis McDougall and Unigate. Lucas has teamed up with Vauxhall and produced a 1tonne payload electric vehicle based on the Bedford CF range of vans.
For the London scheme, 25 Silent Karriers have been ordered from Chrloride and Bedford electric vehicles fro Lucas.
A third main suppli( Crompton, which is involo in the London scheme, is provide a smaller number lower-speed vehicles, whic are said to be a new generatit of the popular milk float.
Lucas and Chloride bot state that the battery-operatE vehicles will have a long( operating life than th equivalent conventional one Also, the total costs over th whole life of the vehicle will b less for the electric versions.