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.
