Designing for a startup automotive firm

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

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 automotive model.  The E10 could be a mid-engined, carbon fibre tubbed automotive priced at lower than £25,000.

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

A challenges in the course of the preliminary design course of was attaining the fragile stability between a pleasant, approachable look becoming the model values, with an exciting, light-weight monitor day automotive.  With  affordability in thoughts, Drive needed to focus on the innovation of the carbon composite materials and mirror 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 Constructions,  developed the ultimate break down of elements and assemblies.

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

“For us Zenos was an especially thrilling venture; it’s not fairly often that you just 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 automotive’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 strain to ship on their promise to have the manufacturing mannequin prepared for January 2015.  Drive and Zenos launched right into a speedy manufacturing improvement part delicate to the truth that the automotive’s look couldn’t alter considerably, however taking the chance to tune the automotive’s character and stability.

This part concerned working with suppliers on feasibility while making certain manufacturing prices have been stored on course retaining to the marketing strategy and price range.  The key of the E10’s affordability relative to its efficiency, is off-the-shelf Ford parts engine, gearbox, and brakes.  The progressive composite tub created from recycled carbon fibre that provides 70 per cent of the lightness and stiffness of pure carbon-fibre for a tenth of the fee.

The inside’s design, constructed across the ideally suited driving positon, the standard of the panels and match needed to exceed what could be anticipated on the automobiles worth level.  This strategy noticed Zenos Vehicles has take greater than 110 deposits and a primary 12 months manufacturing run being roughly 70.  For Zenos’s founders Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, the E10 represents the fruits of a dream.For Drive Design, it gives a cell showcase for its design methods for startup firms looking for the sort of collaborative, ground-up design strategy that solely Drive can ship.

“Drive utterly believed in and understood our imaginative and prescient proper from the start. They dedicated themselves in each respect to creating the design of the E10, and helped us ship a automotive that appears unbelievable, nice dealing with and nicely engineered” Ansar Ali.The Zenos E10 venture is the essence of what we do at Drive. We work with shoppers, like startup Zenos, and assist them take their thought by way of to manufacturing while understanding the enterprise wants.

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