Lunaz – the UK converter of internal-combustion vehicles to electric propulsion – isn’t just creating playthings for the rich anymore.
The company, best known for its re-engineering of classic Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces as EVs, is expanding into the upcycling and re-engineering of industrial fleet vehicles.
It’s opening a new facility in 2022 at Silverstone Technology Park, which will be the global headquarters for Lunaz Applied Technologies and will be home to 300 technicians and engineers.
The company will take old internal combustion engine-powered fleet vehicles and remove their engines, before installing its proprietary electric powertrain.
Lunaz says its new facility will support the remanufacturing of 1100 vehicles per year.
It’s signed an agreement with the local Buckinghamshire Council to remanufacture its fleet of vehicles, including its diesel-powered garbage trucks.
It says its re-engineered vehicles will have the same functionality as before they go under the knife, and will be able to carry the same loads.
Lunaz says it’ll work with its clients to determine how much range is required for particular vehicles and choose the appropriate battery, eschewing a one-size-fits-all approach.
Autocar reports that, although converted vehicles will retain nearly 80 per cent of their embedded carbon, the vehicles will be overhauled to a standard that means they can be warrantied like brand new vehicles.
It isn’t just a case of swapping engines for batteries either, with Lunaz planning to implement features like improved seats, blind-spot monitoring and surround-view cameras.
“So after talking with fleet managers and city councils, you guys already have fleets of beautiful trucks that are only a few years old that are running perfectly,” said Lunaz Applied Technologies’ chief engineer, Eric Griess.
“The benefit that you get with re-manufacture is that you know you’re not throwing perfectly good trucks to waste.
“Why are you going to buy a new truck for twice the price when you’re going electric, instead of using your existing trucks and keeping all the parts on the road?
“I think it’s everybody’s responsibility in this world to try and re-use and maintain what you have to minimise waste where you can.”
Lunaz, named after company founder David Lorenz’s daughter, initially converted only classic cars.
Beyond his vision to “break the replace-with-new cycle”, Lorenz also wants new generations of enthusiasts to be able to enjoy classic cars, particularly in markets where societal attitudes and legislative requirements are making classic car ownership harder than before.
“For Luna, my daughter, not to have access to a car like the Mercedes-Benz 190SL when she is of driving age would be a tragedy. Without building Lunaz, this is the reality she faces,” says Lorenz.
Lunaz counts among its investors David Beckham.
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