Mini trucks: three wheeler renews

Did you know that first mini trucks were electric?

First mini truck in history have been produced around the end of 1800 in Denmark. Those were 100% electric mainly because of the scarce development of thermal engines at that time. The industrial production of this type of vehicle was implemented for the first time by the American car manufacturer Indian, in 1908, this had an internal petrol engine with single cylinder. This vehicle was initially utilized by street vendors, policies and workers for the telephone network maintenance. The wide European diffusion of this vehicle started from around 1930, with multiple civil and military applications, becoming one of the main cargo vehicles used for the post-war rebuilding. The decades after a lot of manufacturers have created much mini truck models, in order to satisfy the more specific and different customers needs. Italian industry surely made the history of this type of vehicle, mainly for the specific urban structure of the national territory, often characterized by small streets and narrow passages, taking advantage from the agility and easiness to drive of this type of model.

Alke' ATX – The electric heir of the three wheeler

The main problems related to three-wheelers, that have brought to a progressive decline of this type of vehicle, are connected to the safety of the three-wheels structure and to the low stability when turning on downhill. These two factors often produced accidents and rollovers. Alkè vehicles have been developed with the inspiration of those features that made the idea of three wheeler win: being multipurpose, the load capacity, the compact dimensions, the easiness of driving in small spaces, the high resistance to physical efforts and the capability to manage challenging up-hills. Alkè electric vehicles have been studied in order to exceed three-wheeler limitations, like the presence of thermal engines (that do not permit the indoor usage or the circulation on areas with environmental restrictions) and the limited stability of the three wheels structure.

Applications of Alke' electric mini trucks

Alkè electric vehicles are compact but they have exceptional loading and towing capacity, thanks to the high electric motor torque. Hence, even though the compact dimensions, ATX vehicles have a load capacity up to 1630kg and a towing capacity up to 4500kg. The powerful motor torque completely shows on hill starts and on the capability to challenge slopes up to 35%. These characteristics let the electric vehicle perform tasks that require high performance, like the industrial applications, the logistic ones and the usage on mountains or hills. Alkè vehicles can mount three types of batteries: Lithium Ions, Gel and Acid Lead. The choice of the perfect battery for the vehicle depends on the usage-type and on the performances needed. Electric pickups with Lithium batteries have better performance and range, hence they can reach 150km. These vehicles are also perfect for stop and go activities, such as deliveries. Alkè ATX vehicles are N1 European type-approved for public-road circulation. The possibility of driving this vehicle on public roads extends the possible applications of these vehicles, giving the chance to work on both indoor and outdoor with driving limitation areas, hence, they are not hit by traffic limitations due to being zero emission vehicles. The usage adaptability represent one of the key aspects of Alkè electric vehicles. Electric mini truck configuration can vary according to customers different needs, offering more than 100 different configurations. The configurations are usually selected thanks to a specific study, done by Alkè technicians, aimed to evaluate specific situations and applications asked by customers.

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