The Californian electric vehicle manufacturer Tropos
Motors is expanding into Europe. Together with the automotive logistics company
Mosolf, an agreement was concluded to establish the subsidiary Tropos Motors
Europe in order to sell fully electric compact commercial vehicles in Europe.
A production facility is to be built near Dortmund,
Germany, in order to manufacture “thousands” of vehicles for Europe and other
global markets in the next five years. “We see increasing sales potential for
all-electric compact utility vehicles in Europe,” said Jörg Mosolf, CEO of the
Mosolf Group. “Governments, cities, and businesses across the continent are
seeking sustainable zero-emissions transportation solutions.” In his estimate,
Tropos’ vehicles can be used reliably in areas such as “corporate, fleet,
first-responder, agriculture, last-mile delivery, and construction.”
The vehicles of the Able series are characterised by
their easily exchangeable superstructures. Depending on the purpose, the
chassis can be extended to a box or flatbed truck, a sweeper, an ambulance, as
well as a number of other uses. This should make the eCUV (electric compact
utility vehicle) particularly versatile.
The top version, the Able XR, which offers an
extended range, is designed for speeds of 40 km/h and up to 260 km without a
charging stop. Thanks to a 26 kWh rechargeable battery, the light-weight
electric commercial vehicle should thus offer a range four times greater than
the standard version and more than comparable e-commercial vehicles in this
class. The maximum speed of the Able XR is 72 km/h, the maximum tractive effort
is a good 900 kilos on public roads and around 1360 kilos on company premises.
Tropos Motors Europe will start production of its
small electric trucks in the city of Herne in January 2020. Herne is located
right in the middle of the Ruhr area, Germany’s industrial valley in the
mid-West of the country. Between 1,500 and 2,800 units are to be produced there next year,
after which up to 3,000 units should follow over the next few years.
