DURACAR AT AVANTIS
[BIZ: Aachen, October 10] The Innovan must meet all sector requirements. Duracar Holding BV has asked PDE Automotive to carry out the safety tests on the current prototype pursuant to RDW standards. The results of this scan are expected at the end of the year, after which a start can be made on the construction of the first five Innovans as prototypes. At this moment, negotiations are ongoing with the cities of Heerlen, Sittard-Geleen and the Province of Limburg for the purchase of a number of Innovans and a life-testing program. Frans van Hout and Zonen in Helmond have driven the Innovan from Aachen to Indupol BV in Arendonk (B). One-piece body molding is an option there and with the prototype it will be easier for Messrs. Wim and Frank Jansen to show their colleagues the final assembly mold result. On September 15 and 16 Innovan was at an exhibition, not in Frankfurt, but in Aachen at the Fuel Saving days of the Stawag power company. The Innovan is extremely cheap to operate. Check the website and do the calculations.
Duracar at Avantis, the battery-powered delivery van project – Innovan - [About which we reported on April 27. Ed.] is going according to plan. The intellectual property check is also proceeding according to plan and research is ongoing into the most favorable price/performance package for batteries at RWTH-ISEA in Aachen and this is almost complete. Of all the batteries investigated, it appears that the traditional lead/zinc batteries are the best for the specifications established by Duracar Holding BV. The disadvantage of these batteries is that they are heavy, but that is made up for by the excellent price/performance relationship. The minimum actual radius of the vehicle with one battery charge is 150km. Now investigations are going on into the most suitable battery management system; and, on this, there is cooperation with Treffpunkt Zukunft GmbH from Villach in Austria and the RWTH-ISEA.
http://www.duracar.nl/