Category: News

Vehicle is Company’s Latest Addition to Converted Electric Van Range

ETRUX, a company that specialises in the design and conversion of lightweight commercial vehicles, has launched its new fully electric Ford E-Transit Trizone van, which is ideal for supermarkets and other perishable goods delivery services.

Operating under the JANS Group, with a manufacturing facility in Antrim and a base in Birmingham, ETRUX also assists fleet managers in the journey from diesel to electric vehicles via its EVolve programme and the Ford E-Transit Trizone van is the latest addition to the company’s converted electric van range.

Officially launched today (Tuesday 23^rd April) during the Commercial Vehicle (CV) show, which is currently taking place in the NEC, Birmingham, the Ford E-Transit Trizone combines durability, strength and lightweight panels with high insulating qualities.

Built and designed by the ETRUX team, the vehicle is fully tested and comes fitted with a GAH refrigeration system, temperature controls, chilling capabilities down to zero degrees, efficient defrost and internal drainage to accommodate water runoff and spillages.

Speaking about the vehicle, Gerard Galvin, ETRUX Managing Director said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Ford E-Transit Trizone van.

 “We are confident that this new vehicle will offer companies a reliable solution to meet their needs and requirements as well as presenting them with practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint.”

 ETRUX was recently awarded the prestigious Ford Pro Convertor Status and is one of only two companies on the island of Ireland to boast the accolade.

The company currently offers a range of electric vehicles including the Ford E-Transit Welfare van, which comes equipped with an updated interior, alongside the Isuzu 7.5t Magtec Luton van and Gerard claims that the addition of the Trizone will enable the company to continue providing solutions for a huge range of sectors.

“At ETRUX, we pride ourselves on providing high quality vehicle solutions for a huge range of sectors including construction, utility, film and television, haulage and medical and with the addition of the Trizone, we can now cater to the supermarket and perishable goods delivery industries,” he added.

 “Having a number of fully electric vehicles available also means that we can assist fleet and transport managers with achieving the Net Zero target and will play a key role in the UK government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.

 “Through our EVolve consultancy, we work closely with our customers to guide them through the entire process of switching from diesel to electric vehicles, from conducting the initial feasibility study right through to managing vehicle disposal at the end-of-life stage.

 “We are all acutely aware of the lower running costs, reduced noise pollution, enhanced driving experience and the positive impact on the environment that moving to electric vehicles will offer and we’re providing the very best quality vehicles to help companies achieve this.” 

ETRUX Awarded Prestigious Ford Pro Convertor Status Ahead of Commercial Vehicle Show

Antrim Company Set to Launch New Ford E-Transit Welfare During Event

AHEAD of the Commercial Vehicle (CV) show, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham from 23^rd – 25^th April, Antrim and Birmingham based company, ETRUX, which operates under JANS Group, has been awarded the prestigious Ford Pro Convertor status.

Specialising in the design and conversion of lightweight commercial vehicles as well as assisting fleet managers in the journey from diesel to electric fleet via its EVolve programme, ETRUX is only one of two companies on the island of Ireland to hold this esteemed accolade, providing assurance for customers in both the UK and Irish markets that its vehicles are converted to the highest standards.

Further cementing ETRUX as one of the leading manufacturers in the vehicle conversion market, the company achieved a rate of 95.6%, far exceeding the pass mark of 85%, which saw the team being rigorously assessed on their processes, stock control and design.

“I am delighted that ETRUX has been awarded the Ford Pro Convertor status. Our team works extremely hard to deliver the very best quality vehicle solutions for our customers – and that has now been proven,” commented Gerard Galvin, ETRUX Managing Director.

 “We are committed to providing excellence and continual improvement is something we pride ourselves on at ETRUX. Completing programmes like the Ford Pro Convertor status is extremely valuable and beneficial as it ensures that we can continue to provide this for our customers going forward.”

 Commending ETRUX on its recent status, Paul O’Sullivan at Ford added: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Gerard, Gareth and the entire team at ETRUX on what is an excellent achievement, and certainly no mean feat.

 “At Ford, we have built our reputation on delivering vehicles of the highest quality standards and in order to continue doing this in the years to come, we continue to collaborate with the very best industry partners. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards across all our vehicles, with safety and comfort at the forefront.”  

 Meanwhile, ETRUX will be launching its new Ford E-Transit Welfare vehicle during the Commercial Vehicle Show, which is the company’s latest addition to its converted electric van range, ideal for construction, engineering, utility, film and mobile medical organisations.

Alongside the company’s EVolve programme, Gerard claims that the launch of these solely electric vehicles will play an essential role in the UK government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate and will go a long way towards assisting companies to achieve the Net Zero target.

“There are a host of benefits to switching to electric vehicles and through EVolve, we want to demonstrate to fleet owners and transport managers across various sectors, that the transition can be achieved with minimal stress and disruption to daily operations,” Gerard explained.

“Our expert team will work alongside our customers to guide them through the entire process from conducting the initial feasibility study to the supply of the right product and finally, managing vehicle disposal at the end-of-life stage.

 “We are all acutely aware of the lower running costs, reduced noise pollution, enhanced driving experience and the positive impact on the environment that moving to electric vehicles will offer. We are confident that our new Ford E-Transit vehicle range will offer companies a reliable solution to meet their needs and requirements.

 “We’re very excited to showcase the 3.5T Ford E-Transit Welfare vehicle during the upcoming Commercial Vehicle Show alongside our charging infrastructure and GRP partners.”

 Additionally, a new temperature-controlled E-Transit Trizone vehicle is also currently under development with the ETRUX team, which will service supermarkets and other perishable goods delivery services.

The ETRUX team is exhibiting at stand 5D88 with members of its EVolve Consultancy team, conversion specialists, GRP sister company, JANS Composites and charging infrastructure partner, Weev.

ETRUX, the advanced manufacturer and commercial vehicle specialist, has placed a multi-million pound order with Magtec for a fleet of MEV75s, the new 7.5 tonne electric truck approved for use in the UK.

The MEV75 is designed for daily urban operations including last-mile logistics, waste collection and refrigerated deliveries and is ideal for low emission zones. The standard 80kWh version has a range of up to 100km, a charge time of up to four hours and a life cycle of up to 10 years.

The deal with electric vehicle drive manufacturer Magtec represents the largest single order to date for the vehicle. Full ratification for use in the UK means it is eligible for a government plug-in grant, offering fleet managers a discounted purchase price and reduced monthly finance option.

ETRUX is a leading vehicle conversion specialist and rental fleet operator which helps public and private sector organisations to reduce carbon emissions in their fleet operations. It will make the MEV75 available to customers through its extensive and growing sales network.

The MEV75 utilises an Isuzu glider chassis and is equipped with a full electric drive system designed and manufactured by Magtec in the UK. ETRUX has developed a range of Luton, refrigerated, curtainsider and drop side options for the vehicle.

This ongoing commitment to the development of quality products that help reduce emissions is something that Gerard Galvin, managing director of ETRUX is passionate about, he said: “We are hugely excited to be offering the MEV75 to fleet operators, which will help them to meet net zero targets. This groundbreaking agreement with Magtec signifies our commitment to the advancement of the market for electric commercial vehicles.”

Magtec secured GB Small Series Approval for the MEV75 earlier this year in a significant milestone for the company. The scheme is applicable for manufacturers wishing to place vehicles and components on the market in Great Britain.

Andrew Gilligan, managing director of Magtec, said: “We are thrilled to be working with ETRUX and helping to meet increasing demand for zero emissions transport. We are very proud of the MEV75, which is the ideal solution for clean urban logistics operations.”

For more information visit etrux.co.uk.

TWO companies within the JANS Group, ETRUX and JANS Composites, are sponsoring the Queen’s University Formula Racing (QFR) team as they compete in the Institute of Mechanical Engineers’ Formula Student event at Silverstone, which is being held this weekend.

Formula Student is Europe’s most established engineering competition and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. The competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up a career in engineering.

Both companies, ETRUX and JANS Composites, have utilised the engineering expertise and knowledge to produce tooling for composite components to ensure that the build was made of as lightweight construction as possible. And as part of the partnership, ETRUX has provided team support vehicles to transport the team and their battery powered single-seater racing car to the event.

Dr Geoff Cunningham, QFR’s team principal said; “QFR was excited to collaborate with JANS Composites on the design and manufacture of the bodywork for the 2023 car. The team at JANS has a strong background in composite manufacture for the automotive sector and have been well placed to take the QFR bodywork to the highest level. We would like to thank Gareth, Ciaran and the wider team at JANS Composites for their enthusiastic support.”

“We were also very pleased that their sister company, ETRUX, assisted on preparations for the Formula Student 2023 competition. ETRUX has extensive experience in coachbuilding light-duty commercial and leisure vehicles and has a growing footprint in the development of electric variants. So, there were many areas of common interest. The organisation has a thriving vehicle hire business and has kindly supplied QFR with commercial vehicles for the long drive to the Silverstone Circuit. We would like to thank Gareth and the team at ETRUX for their immense support.”

QFR is a student-led team that designs, builds and races a single-seater car in the Formula Student competition. The team consists of engineering students from Queen’s University Belfast, who apply their skills and knowledge to create innovative solutions for the challenges of motorsport. The team aims to achieve excellence in engineering, teamwork and leadership, while promoting STEM education and inspiring future generations of engineers.

Some of the ETRUX engineers have competed in Formula Student during their studies and recognise the fantastic opportunity it gives budding automotive engineers ahead of their careers in industry.

Gareth Pinkerton, Head of Engineering at ETRUX and JANS Composites said: “As a former member of the QFR team, I recognise how valuable this competition is in starting the career of many young engineers. It is also a fantastic networking opportunity with a global range of students, universities, companies and technologies.

“I acknowledge that the technology and engineering within these cars has significantly moved on since I competed in 2001, with full electric powertrains now being developed. This fits perfectly with the ETRUX brand. From what we have seen of the QFR car this year, I have no doubt it will be a great success and we are very proud to have played our part in helping the team and the next generation of engineers.”

QFR was founded in 1999 by Dr Geoff Cunningham to provide high quality experience relevant to the automotive and motorsports sectors. Since then, QFR has produced 16 cars and won several awards at the annual competition for design and performance on the track.

While all cars up to 2019 were based around a 600cc motorcycle engine, all subsequent designs have been based on a fully electric powertrain. The team has finalised their new car for the July 2023 competition at Silverstone Race Circuit where they are targeting a top 10 finish from the 100+ international teams that have entered.

There are over 840,000 fully electric vehicles on the roads in the UK, and around a third of the drivers say that they have experienced range anxiety. So, what is range anxiety and what is being done or what can be done to eliminate it?

Range anxiety is that feeling of dread when EV drivers consider driving long distances. It’s the fear of running out of power whilst driving and ending up stranded by the side of the road with no access to a charging point.

What Causes Range Anxiety?

There are two main factors that cause range anxiety, the first one is the public’s perception that there is a lack of public charging points available. Not all EV users are fortunate enough to have charging points at home or at the workplace and therefore they rely heavily on the public charging infrastructure.

Secondly, there is a lack of fast charging points which are accessible to the public. This was highlighted as a major problem last Christmas when charging points on the motorways were overwhelmed and there were queues of Tesla cars as families tried to travel across the width and breadth of GB to visit relatives.

So, what is the UK Government doing to improve the EV infrastructure?

As stated earlier, there is a misconception that public EV charging points are very few and far between. There are more than 61,000 public charge points across the UK at over 22,000 locations and that’s more charging points than there are fuel stations but is it enough?

Given that the UK government has made a commitment to cease the production of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, it recognises that it must invest heavily in the EV charging infrastructure to gain public support, ease concerns and most importantly meet carbon zero targets.

To date £1.6BN has been invested to help expand the UK charging network. £950M of this will go towards the rapid charging fund which will see improvements across motorways and major roads over the next six months. This includes plans to implement at least six rapid charge points at every motorway service station across England by the end of 2023. And a further £20M is being invested to providing 1,000 new electric vehicle charge points in areas across the country where infrastructure is lacking the most.

This substantial investment by the UK government will have a massive positive impact on the UK’s efforts to meet their net zero targets and the advancements in the EV charging framework alone will see the transition from carbon to zero emissions become more obtainable and realistic.

The transition simplified

With more resources available for the public to avail of, drivers will feel much more confident about switching from fuel to electric vehicles and range anxiety will be no longer a common term.

However, for transport managers, who are under immense pressure to meet their company’s ESG strategies, transitioning their entire commercial fleets to zero emissions may be a somewhat daunting and overwhelming concept.

At ETRUX, we understand that fleet managers are facing many challenges which include the uncertainties around the capabilities of electric vehicles, along with productivity and efficiency posing a major factor.

That’s why at ETRUX, we have developed our ground-breaking EVolve programme to help simplify the transition to net zero fleets.

Not only does the EVolve programme help you with the initial change of your fleet, but our four-phase model ensures your organisation has professional guidance throughout the entire process. The four phases include a fleet feasibility study that will provide a road map for your organisation, where we help you source the right vehicles and charging solutions to suit your organisation’s needs. We also help to maintain your vehicles and manage fleet end of life disposal.

Thinking and planning ahead is essential in today’s marketplace so to find out more about our EVolve programme email info@etrux.co.uk.

etrux.co.uk

Congratulations to our ETRUX team members, Gareth Pinkerton and Philip Hanna, who recently graduated from the Advanced Manufacturing Leadership programme at Queen’s University Belfast.

Sponsored by the Department for the Economy (DfE), with support from the QUB Bright Minds initiative and Centre for Competitiveness, the five-month programme is designed to develop practical and effective management and leadership skills for manufacturing supervisors, helping them to lead with confidence, improve manufacturing operations and develop innovation.

We look forward to seeing the benefits of Gareth and Phillip’s participation in the programme across ETRUX.

Pictured left to right are: David Paulson, Professor of Practice at Queens Management School; Philip Hanna, ETRUX Team Lead; Edel Healy, Head of Team Support at JANS Group; Gareth Pinkerton, ETRUX Lead Engineer; Gerry Galvin, ETRUX Managing Director; William (W.) Ussher, Senior Executive at Centre For Competitiveness.