Ford-powered “flat-pack” truck for developing countries

[kscarbel2]

Auto Express  /  September 6, 2016

Bringing vehicles into developing nations comes with its problems, but the OX, from the Global Vehicle Trust (GVT) could be the solution. It’s a rugged, multipurpose truck, strong enough to cope with the worst of roads but cheap and simple enough to be built and maintained by just about anybody.

The OX is the vision of Sir Torquil Norman, who founded GVT five years ago. It harks back to the ‘Africar’ project of the 1980s, which took Citroen 2CV mechanicals and a sturdy plywood bodyshell, aiming to bring mobility to harsh environments in developing countries. The OX shoots for the same goal, but does it in a very different way.

The OX sets itself aside immediately thanks to its ‘flat-pack’ construction. This allows the vehicle to fold into itself, creating a compact package that can be more easily transported across the world. Six OX vehicles can be shipped inside a single shipping container, keeping costs down at both ends.

It also creates jobs in the destination country, where local companies will be employed to assemble and maintain the finished vehicles. An OX can be put together in approximately 12 hours by three skilled people.

The OX’s entire design suits the countries where it will end up. The vehicle is two-wheel drive, for simplicities sake, but lots of ground clearance, chunky tyres and independent suspension ensure it can keep going on the roughest terrain.

A central seating position means the vehicle won’t need expensive adaptations for the mixture of left and right-hand drive countries in Africa. A 2.2-litre Ford diesel engine provides just 99bhp, but 310Nm of torque should keep the OX plodding through most anything.

The OX also has a party trick – a massive payload. It’s able to carry 1900kg in the load bed, which is getting on for double what most European pickups can manage.

GVT engaged the services of Professor Gordon Murray to help design the OX. Professor Murray’s other projects include Formula 1 cars and the iconic McLaren F1, but he’s a big fan of the OX.

 “Honestly, I’m more proud of this vehicle than anything else I’ve ever done – including the McLaren F1 road car which was a narrow product for only a few wealthy people across the globe,” he said, when we interviewed him.

 “The vehicle is so good. We’ve benchmarked it and know that there’s nothing else like it on the planet. It can carry up to 13 people, eight 44 gallon drums, or three Euro pallets. It’s truly unique.”

So what next for the GVT OX? Sir Torquil Norman and Professor Murray hope to secure investment from a larger manufacturer. With proper backing, the hope is that production could exceed 10,000 units each year.

Sir Torquil said: “Feedback we have had so far from contacts in Africa and with aid agencies has been very positive. OX is about making a difference now, being part of something ground-breaking and unique. Most of all it presents a real opportunity to make a fundamental and lasting difference to people’s lives.”

“Our priority now is to raise the funding to complete the testing and take the project to fruition… my dream is to one day see an OX in every village in Africa.”

 

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Motor 1  /  September 6, 2016

Flat-pack deliveries are most often associated with IKEA furniture, but now there’s an automotive application of the technique. Global Vehicle Trust, founded in 2011, aims to bring affordable mobility to parts of the developing world. The most unconventional thing about the group’s new vehicle, though, is that the truck that can be flat-packed inside itself.

The Global Vehicle Trust Ox can be partially disassembled for easy shipping, making it cheaper and simpler to move to foreign countries. GVT says that three people can ‘flat-pack’ the Ox in just six hours, and once in that reduced state, the Ox is compact enough that six can be transported in one, 40-foot shipping container. At the other end, three workers can fully rebuild the truck in just 12 hours.

The supremely simple truck is designed to be able to provide lots of utility in demanding terrain. It has a payload capacity of 4,188 lb (1,900 kg) and 247 cubic feet (7 cubic meters) of cargo space, despite weighing just 3,527 lb (1,600 kg) dry and measuring only 169.3 inches (4,299 mm) in length.

It has been designed with aggressive approach and departure angles, and nearly 10 inches of ground clearance, out of recognition that many developing countries have poor or non-existent roads. It can also ford 51.2 inches (1,300 mm) of water.

GVT envisions the Ox serving in rural Africa or other nations where it could be used to deliver water, food, fertilizer, or other supplies. The cargo area can, depending on configuration, accommodate 13 passengers, eight 44-gallon drums, or three pallets.

Other neat design tricks include a center-mounted driving position, so the Ox can be used in both left- and right-hand-drive countries; a modular tailgate that can be removed and used as a loading ramp; and the bench seat frames that can be removed to use as sand ladders in case the vehicle gets stuck. Power comes from a Ford 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine, with a five-speed manual transmission routing power to the front wheels.

The GVT enlisted famed automotive designer Gordon Murray – of McLaren and Gordon Murray Design fame – to design the vehicle. In a statement, he applauded the project’s goals and scope.

The OX design and prototyping programme is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and challenging I have undertaken during my 45 years of car design, including my years in F1,” he said. “The added challenge of a flat-packed vehicle design over the already tough targets for cost, durability, and weight-saving made for a fascinating and stimulating journey from concept to prototype.”

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[BillyT]

If Gordon Murray had anything to do with the truck it has to be innovative! I was sitting in traffic on I 95 in West Palm Beach one afternoon and a McLaren F1 Pulled up next to me! I almost fell out of the damn truck! Supposedly only 9 of them ever "crossed the pond" Jay Leno has one he claims it is his favorite car! That's quite a stretch to go from designing the first production car with a msrp of 1million bucks to a practical little truck! Unfortunately the audio is messed up so I can't hear Nicks description of the truck,but a 2 ton payload on such a little truck is amazing!