Workshop update: how our EV prototype became a world first
Much has happened over the past months and we can now share a full recap with you. To summarise: we’ve moved Project ECARUS from the Middle East to Europe, and from drawing board to field trial. In the process, we’ve somehow managed to achieve a world first: right now, our prototype is the first electric Puch Pinzgauer out there. (Please do get in touch if you know something we don’t.)
Moving our truck from the United Arab Emirates to France was a big step. There, finally, work on electrification, the expedition shelter and the solar rig could begin in earnest – and in a different language, n’est pas? Our new project partners at AVS are French, so we’ve had to dust off our high-school language skills and rely on Google Translate for the rest.
The founders of AVS, François and Pierre Michel (more about them here), bring a combination of skills and experience to Project ECARUS that is almost uncannily perfect. One is a robotics expert who also builds extreme expedition vehicles. The other is a former champion off-road racer and master mechanic. We love their passion for and in-depth knowledge of Puch vehicles, adventure travel and off-roading (as well as their remarkable patience with people who speak bad French). For several years now, François and Pierre Michel have made it their business to convert old trucks into high-performing, high-tech off-road rigs. We discovered their Pinzelec concept on YouTube and, from the very first phone call, knew we had found the right people to make Project ECARUS happen.
Once we arrived at the new workshop, it was all work, work, work. To avoid bottlenecks, we decided to use a separate test vehicle for the development of the electric drive: AVS’ beautifully restored Pinzgauer 4x4 (as seen in the video). We had hoped to speed things up this way but, as anyone who has ever worked on a prototype (or two at the same time) can attest, certain things just can’t be rushed.
Every week brought new breakthroughs and challenges. Some components arrived on time, some didn’t. Some solutions materialised, some didn’t. Meanwhile, the flow of ideas never ceased. We met inspiring people and found new partners, advisers and collaborators. We celebrated the arrival of important components, such as the solar panels and the modified motor, and whenever talented friends and relatives showed up to lend a hand. A big thank you to Georg and Johannes! Find out more about them over on the Advisory Team page.
A definite highlight of the project so far was the news that Vector, leading manufacturer of innovative charge controllers for electric vehicles, had decided to sponsor Project ECARUS. We are beyond excited about the possibilities Vector’s generic smart charging technology promises and thank them for their support. Whenever the sun isn’t out, Project ECARUS will depend on their Vehicle Charge Control Unit (VC-VCCU) to power up from a variety of sources.
In August, we presented the 4x4 test vehicle to the public at the OTA Globetrotter Rodeo, in Austria. Even among a crowd of (mostly) petrol heads, we were overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback and expressions of interest we received. We hope to be back next year.
In September, the test vehicle hit the road for the very first time – an incredible moment for everyone on the project. It’s hard to describe the excitement of seeing an idea come to life after months of planning, logistics and construction.
The success of the test vehicle is a major milestone for Project ECARUS and has brought us a significant step closer to our goal: to travel on sunshine. We still have a lot of work ahead of us – especially with the solar system - but that’s okay with us. Any experiment that is truly worthwhile is bound to throw up delays and complexity. As the past few months have shown us, there is much value in giving yourself time to figure stuff out.
To us, Project ECARUS is not “just” about building a solar-powered expedition truck and exploring remote areas. It’s also about building a community of likeminded people and truly embracing the freedom, adventure and deceleration the project represents.
We may not have hit the road yet but, even so, it’s been a thrilling ride so far.
As always, let us know if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions. We’d love to hear from you.