In January of this year, REE Automotive began testing a new developed modular chassis to house electric service vehicles, such as trucks, buses or vans. The P7 platform manages to reduce to a minimum the space occupied by the electrical mechanics that moves the vehicle that is created on it. Now, the Israeli company has partnered with EAVX by J. B. Poindexter and Morgan Olson develop the Proxima electric van Use it for live demos. Thus, future clients can evaluate its virtues and help polish its defects and also check the ease of implementation on a vehicle such as Morgan Olson’s.
The P7 chassis implements the electric motors, brakes, suspensions and steering in the corner units. These are mounted on a very thin platform that includes a high capacity battery, leaving a large amount of space to give total freedom to the design of the vehicle. A wireless control system (by-wire) It allows all mechanical joints to be dispensed with for its control, so that a vehicle can be assembled with any type of configuration, including those that do not require steering wheels and brakes since they are totally autonomous. The P7 platform has been developed for vehicles Class 3 to 5 (medium trucks, according to the American classification) with payloads of up to 4,000 kilograms and a range of 595 kilometers.
The development of the body of this prototype four-wheel drive electric commercial delivery van is the result of the collaboration between EAVX and Morgan Olson. The result is next, an electric van with a “walk-in step” design, common in Morgan Olson vehicles. According to its designers, it offers “a significant reduction in air resistance for maximum efficiency without compromising functionality.” In this case it is a vehicle. class 5 what does it measure 8.7 meters long, 2.4 meters wide and 2.9 meters high. The load capacity in the rear box is 3,630 kilograms. Stand on 19.5-inch diameter wheels.
The platform incorporates a flat battery with a capacity of 120 kWhwhich leads to guarantee autonomy of 200 kilometers. It has four independent electric motors that move each of the four wheels. The power of each is 100 kW (134 hp) and generate a 136 Nm engine. With this mechanical configuration, Proxima can reach a maximum speed of 120km/h. It rests on 19.5-inch diameter wheels that, thanks to the capacity of turn of the rear wheels and to the system torque vectoring which allows independent control of each motor, can achieve a fairly tight turning radius, 7.7 meters.
The dashboard, windscreen and side windows have been optimized for maximum visibility and to reduce driver blind spots, while a single control system allows connected technologies to communicate with each other and assist you in your daily tasks. .
The goal of this van is to give fleet operators and technology companies the opportunity to see the Proxima Concept in action. Customers will thus be able to carry out their evaluations before completely closing the development of the vehicle that will definitively enter production, which will occur during the year 2023, which is when it will finally be available.
“These events are the opportunity for leading delivery companies and fleet managers to see first-hand how REE’s Proxima and chassis are responding to the demand for electrification options that are fast, efficient and offer a low total cost.” ownership,” said Daniel Barel, the company’s founder and CEO. “They will also be able to see the value and efficiency that REE’s x-by-wire technology brings to fleets. On the other hand, it also shows how such a revolutionary chassis can be combined with Morgan Olson’s high-tech bodywork.”
