Electric, self-driving van revealed by Oxfordshire-based company Charge

Unveiled at the Wired 2016 conference, the Charge van has an electric range of 100 miles, but is capable of 500 miles when in ‘dual mode’.

The vehicles are built using ultra-lightweight composite materials that significantly reduce the weight of the vehicle. All vehicles are autonomous ready, for when self-driving regulations allow, and receive updates over the air like a smart phone.

Charge develops trucks in a range of sizes from 3.5 Tonnes to 26 Tonnes. Charge’s trucks will also meet new EV legislation globally including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s new “Direct Vision Standard” for lorries, helping to make London’s streets significantly safer for pedestrians and cyclists. 

The van has a simple design, and Charge say it takes one person just four hours to build an entire Charge truck.

Currently in development, the Charge vehicles will go on sale next year.

Charge CEO Denis Sverdlov said: "We find trucks today totally unacceptable. At Charge we are making trucks the way they should be – affordable, elegant, quiet, clean and safe. We are removing all the barriers to entry for electric vehicles by pricing them in line with conventional trucks, giving every fleet manager, tradesman or company, no matter how big or small, the opportunity to change the way they transport goods and make our towns and cities better places to live in."

Sverdlov is also in charge of Roborace, the all-electric autonomous driving support series for Formula E, which is due to launch next season. Charge has become the official electric truck partner of Formula E too, and the company will use developments at both Charge and Roborace to improve its vehicles.

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