An innovative technology start-up is looking to transform urban transportation from a state-of-the-art business centre in Cheltenham.
Trilvee, which is developing a teleoperated, on-demand transport service to minimise congestion and the need for parking and cut emissions in UK cities while reducing costs for road users, has launched the next phase of its development at AC Lloyd Space Business Centre in Cheltenham.
The company, which is based in London and comprises a team of software and automotive experts, is using the unit as a hardware and design workshop to test and develop prototypes, including a two seat, stabilised, three-wheel electric vehicle to meet most urban transport needs.
The lightweight fully electric vehicle reduces the energy used per mile compared to standard EVs without requiring the materials and energy of resource-intensive EV manufacturing, as well as mitigating the initial cost of a personal electric vehicle and reducing space and energy wasted on unoccupied seats.
Trilvee’s research suggests that around two thirds of all car journeys are single occupant and most of the rest are two.
Once a ride has been requested, an electric vehicle is driven remotely to the customer’s location. The customer gets into the vehicle and self-drives to their destination, whereupon they exit the vehicle, end their ride, and remote operators drive the empty vehicle to the next customer or for top up charging.
Trilvee hopes for its service, which is accessed by requesting a ride via a smartphone app, to start an initial trial in 2023 with full rollout to the public in 2024.
James Campbell, co-founder and Director of Automotive at Trilvee, said: “Space Cheltenham is a perfect development location for us as we have been able to tailor the unit to our specific needs while we perfect our design and hardware.
“It is a very exciting project that started as a conversation among colleagues in the automotive industry and eventually transitioned into an ambitious but achievable means of transport as we explored the potential benefits of on-demand, space-saving travel and how we might be able to bring it to market.
“The work that we are undertaking at Space is vital to our progress in the coming months and years, and the location in general provides opportunities for us to develop our extra-urban network further down the line, with inner-city travel the priority for 2024.”
Space Business Centres Gloucester and Cheltenham are owned by property development company AC Lloyd and offer flexible, multi-use units ranging from 275 to 775 sq ft.
Lucy Iles, site manager at Space Gloucester and Cheltenham, said: “It’s been fascinating to see the work that Trilvee has been doing and we are thrilled that they have chosen Space Business Centres as an ideal location outside of London to house their workshop.
“We are excited to see what James and the team can achieve over the next few years.”
For more information about Trilvee, visit www.trilvee.com