South African firm MellowVans is seeing massive demand for its groundbreaking three-wheeled electric vehicle (EV), which aims to combine the best features of motorcycles with light vans for last-mile cargo transport and courier deliveries.
After its tremendous success in South Africa over the past decade, the MellowVan is poised to make big waves overseas.
The EV is the first vehicle from a South African automotive original equipment manufacturer to achieve European and British homologation, a long and costly process that makes a vehicle road legal in a particular jurisdiction.
According to the company’s website, a MellowVan delivery with a driver is around R16.94, compared with the R32.36 it would cost to deliver the same amount of goods via two petrol-powered motorcycles.
Yes, it’s true that many of us just assume when we see these vehicles, they are Chinese imports. But this is far from the case, and it is impressive to see what thought has gone into the design, right down to the transporting of perishable goods and medical supplies.
“Total practicality” seems to permeate through the design and operation of these vehicles. It charges anywhere, the driver is protected from the elements, it can carry more cargo than a normal scooter or motorcycle, it is environmentally friendly, and it costs less to operate than a conventional motorcycle.
It has won international awards already, and has already started to export its first vans to Europe (I’m assuming Europe does not charge an extra import duty on EV imports like South Africa does).\
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