Utrecht electric cargohopper: electric delivery van
International awards:
- 2nd place at European level as the best ecological solution in the urban environment: this solution was also presented in New York at the United Nations.
- 1st place in the Netherlands as best solution for sustainable mobility.
The idea: an electric vehicle as a small electric city train on wheels
Alkè's electric vehicles for city centres are capable of towing up to 3 tonnes by means of a three-phase electric motor with forced cooling capable of working in the most demanding conditions. This vehicle is unique in its sector as it has an unrivalled price/power ratio. This is why it is having great commercial success in the professional sector where such vehicles are usually priced almost twice as much as the ATX. Its maximum speed in this configuration is 20 kilometres per hour (but can vary depending on the customer's needs up to 44 km/h), but this is more than sufficient as the vehicle is used in the historic centre of Utrecht, and has a maximum autonomy of 60 km per day.
A small electric train for the city centre
The electric cargo boat (a kind of electric train) named cargohopper continues to deliver to shops in the city centre and the pedestrian zone. Once empty, it collects waste classified as dry and in particular cardboard, paper and empty packaging from the shops for recycling so that the return journey can also be used. In this way, Alkè electric vehicles can reduce up to 100,000 kilometres of diesel or petrol vehicles from the city centre and roads and save around 30 tonnes of CO2 on an annual basis. The three trailers are driven on both axles, which gives the vehicle great manoeuvrability as a whole. A completely environmentally friendly vehicle, the Alkè vehicle is designed for package delivery and is capable of operating between 5 and 8 hours a day.
How the small electric city truck works
The cargo consists of the Alkè tractor and three trailers. The three trailers are actually 3 separate containers and can be placed on top of the various trailers by means of a forklift truck. 8 containers of this type can fit on a trailer measuring 13.60 metres. The containers are loaded outside the historic centre at a sorting centre and then towed by Alkè electric vehicles to the historic city centre. These Alkè delivery vehicles are used for transporting fruit from fruit and vegetable markets to shops in old town centres, industries, railways, airports, for delivering parcels to shops and for collecting packaging and paper.
| Specifications | ATX | Description |
| Propulsion | Electric motor | The three-phase motors provide very high performance and simultaneously energy saving, thus lowering consumption. |
| Max. speed | 44 km/h | Reduced mode allows optimum use of available torque and greater driving control. |
| Brake motor | Yes | The brakes with energy recovery ensure high safety standards and perfect manoeuvrability when descending, as well as lower consumption. |
| Autonomy | 60-200 km | Depending on customer requirements and the chosen configuration. |
| Scope | up to 1630 kg | Depends on the model chosen: (recommended for this purpose) ATX 340E - ATX 330E - ATX 320E |
| towing capacity | 2000 - 4500 kg | 2000 kg on road - 4500 kg in private area |
| Width | 140 cm | The narrow width allows operation in confined areas. |
| Surmountable slope | 35% | ATXs in their category are probably the only electric vehicles to maintain high performance even on difficult climbs or terrain. |
