Midlands jobs boost as electric trike sales accelerate
A Kingswinford engineering firm is playing a major role in the successful first year of a new electric vehicle designed, manufactured and assembled in the Midlands.
With £1.5 million of orders already in the pipeline, the three-wheeled Raptor is attracting major interest from from police forces, private security firms and federal agencies in the US as well as from Australia.
Launched last year by Ecospin, the Raptor is the brainchild of brothers Paul and David Loomes, based in Leicester, backed by strategic and product development support from the Wolverhampton-based Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).
This move will give the duo the potential to manufacture between 1,500 and 2,000 vehicles every year and, if sold, will see sales reach £10m.
ACE Forming managing director Ian Wiles said the plan was to open up a second factory unit on the Pensnett Estate dedicated to Raptor production.
"Currently we make the chassis and wiring loom. We have made 100 so far and this year production should reach 350," said Mr Wiles. "We have taken on five extra people so far, increasing our workforce to 13, and we plan to take on another four later in the year. If the expected orders come in and we can ramp up production next year, I would expect to be looking for another four or five people."
Mr Wiles said: "The aim is for Ecospin to release the manufacturing side of the business to us so they can concentrate on developing further vehicles at their site in Leicester. We had worked with them on the prototype, making it more 'production friendly' and then approached them about the main manufacturing work."
Priced at £6,500, the road-legal Raptor combines a custom-made chassis, electronic differential and bespoke handling software with twin rear-wheel drive providing increased traction over loose, slippery and steep surfaces.
An elevated ride platform allows for the rider to see over crowds while different lithium battery options offering speeds of 25 mph and up to 50-mile range.
Paul Loomes, managing director of Ecospin, said: "When we officially unveiled the Raptor last year, we knew there would be interest but we didn't expect to have such a guaranteed order book so quickly.
"The big break came when we were approached by the global vehicle manufacturer Vectrix, who wanted to take the Raptor and distribute it in North America under the ES3 brand.
His brother David added: "This initial interest was quickly followed by discussions with Australia-based LordCo Pty Ltd, who will be responsible for selling the Raptor across the Oceana region. Orders for 50 vehicles are already in the pipeline and this figure will rocket next year."
He also praised the support Ecospin had received from the Manufacturing Advisory Service. "Our advisor – David Nuttall – took a lot of time to understand what we were trying to achieve and he has given us some tremendous advice over the years, including testing at MIRA, sourcing supply partners and access to the New Product Development Programme."
