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The Cranfield University subsidiary Axon Automotive has hit the ground running since opening for business in 2006. Axon raced its version of the Caterham 7 at the 2007 Shell Eco-marathon Race with a projected fuel mileage of 109 miles per gallon. The automaker unveiled a traditional version of its Axon 8080 at the 2008 Eden Car Show. Axon Automotive is building on the Axon 8080 frame with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle presented at the recent Milton Keynes Science Festival.
Axon Automotive wants to turn this concept into a production model by 2012 with a planned rollout throughout Western Europe. The Axon 8080 PHEV is capable of traveling on all-electric power at slow speeds before switching to gas or biofuel on the highway. The hybrid drive system produces half of the minimum carbon dioxide emissions to qualify for a road tax waiver in England. The automaker projects that the vehicle’s lightweight frame, efficient engine and sleek design can help it achieve 83 miles per gallon.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Axon Automotive is the almost complete use of recyclable material in its interior design. The automaker utilized recycled jeans, trousers and suits to create the covers for driver and passenger seats. Axon Automotive also incorporates recycled carbon fibers into the paneling to create lightweight frames for the Axon 8080 PHEV. This element of the Axon 8080 is an important example to other automakers on how to become truly sustainable. Axon Automotive is not only moving toward hybrid and electric drive trains but it is eschewing the wasteful production processes of larger automakers. These recycling processes can be replicated at Ford, Toyota and beyond if the will exists to do so.
The fact that Axon Automotive is primed for a 2012 production date shows the availability of technology for PHEVs and EVs today. Axon Automotive has received capital from The Technology Partnership ($4.1 million) with the intention of soliciting investments up to $8.2 million by 2014. The money involved in getting the Axon 8080 PHEV from idea to market may seem a lot but it is nowhere near the funds offered to Ford, Toyota and Fisker Automotive by the United States as part of its economic recovery package. As a limited edition of the Axon 8080 PHEV hits the market in late 2011, we will see if Axon Automotive can stand on the merits of its vehicles rather than angel investors and government funds.
