UK-based startup Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC) has just introduced a new lightweight modular architecture that can support the production of multiple low- to medium-volume vehicle designs.
WEVC unveils platform to accelerate low-volume EV production
According to WEVC’s latest LinkedIn post, the new all-electric architecture is a cost-effective, “off-the-shelf” solution that third parties can utilize to build their own models atop. It eliminates the need for low-volume automakers to develop their own platform at a substantial expense.
WEVC claims that its new architecture will “provide a blueprint for next-generation zero-emission sports cars and other small series, bespoke EVs.”
More notably, it emphasized that the off-the-shelf platform meets the latest safety standards, including ISO regulations and the European Small Series Type Approval, to ensure automakers’ confidence in adopting it.
New “PACES” platform makes EV production easier
WEVC announced that the new innovative electric vehicle platform is based on its Passenger And Commercial EV Skateboard (PACES) architecture.
PACES is a highly flexible and scalable platform, enabling other automakers to adjust it depending on their needs and requirements.
According to the announcement, PACES is an adaptable bonded aluminum platform that automakers can modify to nearly all sizes or shapes of low-volume passenger electric vehicles.
Remarkably, it supports front-wheel drive (FWD), REAR-wheel drive (RWD), and all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain configurations.
It also employs an assembly technique dubbed “FlexTech,” which interlocks and bonds flat, laser-cut pieces together. It eliminates the need for more complex and high-cost corner castings in large-scale aluminum skateboard platforms.
“This cutting edge, modular platform has been specifically designed for low volume manufacture, a blank sheet of paper providing the best possible structural and dynamic starting point for almost any future high-performance EV, whether a featherweight rear-drive roadster, luxurious coupe or off-road buggy. It also comes fully supported by our leading UK-based EV technology supply chain and, of course, WEVC’s in-house design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities.”
WEVC CEO Neil Yates
Keeping costs down for low-volume automakers
WEVC’s PACES platform is crucial for low-scale automakers, who often fall short of funds to produce such architectures.
The company further asserted that adopting the PACES platform does not require expensive retooling or post-assembly machining. In effect, low-scale automakers can ensure lower costs for their electric vehicle production.
WEVC is a UK-based electric vehicle startup focused on developing ground-up models through sustainable and recyclable materials and processes, with a mission to attain a closed-loop production system in the future.
