An Australian startup has big plans to deploy its small electric vehicle to customers at home and abroad. ACE EVs has built up a team of experts in Australia to import and assemble flat-pack electric vans from kits. The vans look brilliant for small businesses and last mile package delivery, with a carbon composite chassis clad with ABS plastic panels. When fully built up, the vans themselves will tip the scales at 900 kgs | 1,980 lbs, with a payload capacity of 500 kgs | 1,100 lbs.
Image courtesy: ACE Electric Vehicles
Their ultra lightweight build makes also makes them extremely efficient, with a range of 150-250 kms | 93-155 mi per charge, depending on the weight being carried and terrain. Power comes from an 18 kW / 45 kW peak motor that boasts 174 Nm of torque. That’s critical for delivery vehicles as it ensures drivers will have enough torque to haul their cargo across town.
Power comes from a 23.2 kWh battery comprised of industry standard 18650 lithium-ion battery cells. On the upper end of the efficiency range, that translates to 10 kilometers per kWh, a staggeringly impressive figure for a van. Of course, if you throw a lead foot like Zach Shahan behind the wheel, that figure will clearly be diminished as rapid acceleration
ACE EVs is importing the ACE Cargo vehicles as flat pack vehicle kits and assembling them in Australia to serve the local market. At present, the company is starting with a relatively small scale production team, but has plans to ramp up to support a full array of electric vehicle offerings.
Image courtesy: ACE Electric Vehicles
The ACE Cargo is exciting for more than just its efficiency as it also packs a surprise under the hood when it comes to charging. Out of the box, it will support type 2 charging at 7 kW speeds and will ship with a CCS2 fast charging port as well. That’s great and all, but the ACE Cargo uses that capability to provide vehicle to grid capability, allowing it to power a home, office, or off-grid functions if needed. That’s a powerful add for an EV that is already as attractive as the cargo is for business owners.
Once assembled, the ACE team plans to ship them across Australia and to export them throughout the greater Asia Pacific region.
At $40,000 AUD, the new ACE Cargo isn’t cheap, but the savings in operational expenses that come from driving electric instead of petrol take the edge off of the initial price tag. The company is currently taking orders for the ACE Cargo and two other electric vehicles, the ACE Yewt, and the ACE Urban.
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