Engineered in the UK and designed to be built virtually anywhere in the world in licensed Helixx Mobility Hubs, the company’s four mini commercial electric vehicles – CARGO, TRUCK, TUK and RIDE - will be offered on a subscription basis for commercial users from $0.25 per hour.
By 2030, there could be 43 megacities with over 10 million inhabitants, mostly located in developing countries. Currently, people living in these regions rely on small, polluting vehicles for public transportation and commerce.
According to Helixx, zero-emission vehicles that are built locally within a fully managed circular manufacturing Industry 5.0 ecosystem offer the potential to unlock opportunities for economic growth by solving mobility and air quality challenges.
In a statement, Steve Pegg, Helixx CEO and co-founder said: “Helixx was born to meet the challenge of transforming the quality and standard of mobility for citizens in heavily congested cities. The vehicles offered by Helixx are the key to replacing the heavily polluting combustion-powered vehicles relied upon in developing nations today.”
The Helixx range has been created by hypercar designers Jowyn Wong and Jakub Jodlowski. The range initially comprises four body styles designed to be produced simply through Helixx’s assembly process.
The CARGO is a commercial goods vehicle designed to support the demand for last-mile delivery fleets, with 2100 litres of cargo space and the capability to carry most ISO pallets in target markets. The TRUCK is a pick-up oriented at construction businesses and urban developers. The TUK and RIDE, with open and closed-door bodies respectively, have been designed for urban ride-hailing.
All four vehicles offer a zero-emission driving range (up to 200km with a 12kWh battery configuration) for a virtually uninterrupted 24-hour duty cycle with swappable, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery packs.
“For the past four years, we have researched the market to ensure the creation of sustainable zero-emission vehicles that meet the demands and needs of the world’s developing economies,” said Pegg. “But arguably more importantly, we tasked ourselves to find a solution to how such vehicles could be deployed wherever they are needed in the world with maximum speed and energy efficiency and minimum cost and complexity.”
To this end, the company has developed the Helixx Mobility Hub. Supported by an Industry 5.0-inspired Helixx digital ecosystem, a Helixx Hub can be commissioned and operated almost anywhere globally through a licensed partnership.
Helixx said it will fully manage the entire set-up process for hub partners, from the establishment of the factory and equipment installation to ongoing commercial support with local fleet operators.
Using a so-called ‘factory in a box’ model, Helixx said it will aggregate all assets required, including architectural support, digital operations platform, processes, and training. Helixx will also supply all infrastructure, equipment, robotics, and IT systems. The company’s Industry 5.0 digital platform will also prioritise local sourcing and supply chain flexibility.
Pegg said: “The unique ability for Helixx hubs to automatically communicate and trade with each other using AI is one of many next-generation benefits inferred by operating to the principles of Industry 5.0. Industry 4.0 was a factory learning about itself, Industry 5.0 is a factory learning about its place in the world. The system can ‘see’ the entire world, no matter where it is. You only achieve that level of connectivity and efficiency with a system that has been built ‘digital-first’ from the ground up.
“Unlike traditional manufacturing models, operators do not need to know how everything works. They just need to be able to follow simple, digitally disseminated instructions. The Helixx digital manufacturing platform will ensure repeatable processes and a consistently high level of quality, whether the vehicle is built in Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, or London, Paris, Rome.”
Following testing of the UK concept hub in partnership with Siemens, Helixx now plans to establish further pilot hubs in the UK and Singapore. The company is in discussion with customers in the Asia Pacific region, with India, MENA, and South America to follow.
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