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MeV develops the UK’s most affordable electric vehicle
A Greater Manchester-based company is addressing the twin issues of reducing vehicle emissions and improving air quality by producing innovative and affordable electric vehicles.
MeV has spent the past two years designing and developing a low-cost electric vehicle – the BeeAnywhere – that is intended to retail at the same price as an average eight-year-old hatchback, rather than competing on price with a brand new car.
The firm was founded in 2019 by Dr Tony Keating of Keating Supercars, and Tim Harper, a former European Space Agency engineer who has founded a number of tech companies ranging from scientific instruments to water filtration.
MeV has spent the past two years designing and developing a low-cost electric vehicle / Picture: MeV
Dr Anthony Keating, MeV CEO, said: “Emissions free transport should not be limited to those who can afford to pay a premium. The BeeAnywhere makes electric vehicles affordable, stimulating mass adoption and offers the potential to displace millions of older polluting vehicles, especially if backed by a scrappage scheme.”
To create an affordable vehicle the company has combined the expertise of the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at the University of Bolton with advanced composites from the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre. The resulting innovative chassis design and composite body allows the vehicles to be assembled from a minimum of parts, significantly reducing production and component costs.
The BeeAnywhere has been specifically designed as a two-seat urban vehicle, that is controlled via the user’s smart phone. The company is currently building pre-production vehicles.
MeV chairman, Tim Harper, added: “For the UK to achieve targets set out in the government’s 2019 Clean Air Strategy, there needs to be a rapid switch to electric vehicles.
“Currently there are no viable alternatives to conventional vehicles at an equivalent price point and the targets will not be met simply by charging for entering Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ). The upcoming COP26 conference gives the government an opportunity to back low carbon innovations and stimulate the creation of new industries.”