Designing for a startup automobile firm

Drive had been approached by Zenos Vehicles due to their expertise of designing for a startup automobile firm.   Zenos Vehicles’ marketing strategy concerned the design and construct of a spread of vehicles.  The E10 idea marked the end result of an intense design and growth interval.  Drive and Zenos labored hand-in-hand to put down the muse for a “light-weight, inexpensive, enjoyable to drive” automobile, that fitted a brand new vary of thrilling and accessible sports activities vehicles.

The brand new startup firm founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, defined their distinctive market proposition with just a few key phrases that will outline their model.  Drive needed to create a design language that will embody all of their aspirations, for a totally new British sports activities automobile model.  The E10 can be a mid-engined, carbon fibre tubbed automobile priced at lower than £25,000.

“Drive’s power was their listening, understanding and articulating the market and our sort of buyer wants – the best way they interrogated, challenged and interpreted them had been in alignment with how we noticed it.” Ansar Ali

A challenges through the preliminary design course of was reaching the fragile steadiness between a pleasant, approachable look becoming the model values, with an exciting, light-weight observe day automobile.  With  affordability in thoughts, Drive needed to focus on the innovation of the carbon composite materials and replicate the intelligence of the styling.  The break up of panels, wings and tub permitting ease of manufacturing and decrease restore prices in comparison with the one clam mouldings used on competitor merchandise.   Drive’s designers, working carefully with engineers and composite producers Shiny Lite Buildings,  developed the ultimate break down of elements and assemblies.

The shut relationship between Drive and Zenos, and the openness of the administration group had been key to make sure that the design and enterprise wants aligned at each stage of he undertaking.

“For us Zenos was an especially thrilling undertaking; it’s not fairly often that you simply get the chance to construct one thing from scratch, to assist launch a brand new model and begin up firm and have a lot affect on it,” Chris Longmore.

The general public’s response to the automobile’s design was measured by the 40 deposits taken from prospects earlier than they’d even seen it run.  This justification of the product, solely raised the stress to ship on their promise to have the manufacturing mannequin prepared for January 2015.  Drive and Zenos launched right into a speedy manufacturing growth section delicate to the truth that the automobile’s look couldn’t alter considerably, however taking the chance to tune the automobile’s character and steadiness.

This section concerned working with suppliers on feasibility while guaranteeing manufacturing prices had been saved on track preserving to the marketing strategy and funds.  The key of the E10’s affordability relative to its efficiency, is off-the-shelf Ford elements engine, gearbox, and brakes.  The progressive composite tub constituted of recycled carbon fibre that provides 70 per cent of the lightness and stiffness of pure carbon-fibre for a tenth of the price.

The inside’s design, constructed across the ideally suited driving positon, the standard of the panels and match needed to exceed what can be anticipated on the vehicles value level.  This method noticed Zenos Vehicles has take greater than 110 deposits and a primary yr manufacturing run being roughly 70.  For Zenos’s founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, the E10 represents the end result of a dream.For Drive Design, it offers a cell showcase for its design methods for startup corporations looking for the sort of collaborative, ground-up design method that solely Drive can ship.

“Drive fully believed in and understood our imaginative and prescient proper from the start. They dedicated themselves in each respect to growing the design of the E10, and helped us ship a automobile that appears implausible, nice dealing with and properly engineered” Ansar Ali.The Zenos E10 undertaking is the essence of what we do at Drive. We work with shoppers, like startup Zenos, and assist them take their concept by means of to manufacturing while understanding the enterprise wants.

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