A three-wheeled electric vehicle designed by manufacturing start-up Ecospin has been awarded road legal status and aims to produce 3000 units per year.
The Raptor, a three-wheeled electric vehicle capable of travelling 25mph over a 60 mile range on just one charge, has been approved by the Vehicle and Operating Servicing Agency (VOSA) for use on private land and public highways.
The vehicle was designed by two brothers from the Midlands, Paul and David Loomes, who set up the manufacturing firm Ecospin to launch their new product.
Apart from the £1.2 million of personal investment poured into the Raptor by the Loomes brother, the development of the Raptor, and Ecospin, have benefitted from the help of the Midland Assembly Network (MAN), a consortium of 10 manufacturers.
MAN helped develop the specialist electric looms in the Raptor with particularly strong interest and support coming from Birmingham-based FW Cables.
Production will now begin at Ecospin’s Leicester facility. The company is looking to produce 60 vehicles in its first year and gradually increase production to a target of 3,000 units per year.
Target markets for the Raptor are international police forces, local governments, theme parks and major events, such as the Olympics.
Pual Loomes said that receiving approval from VOSA has made the raptor a world first and catapulted the company into an international spotlight. “Strong expressions of interested have been received from Europe, the Middle East and Far East,” he claimed.
The Raptor will be priced at £6,000. The cost per mile to charge the vehicle is under two pence.
