Lunaz Applied Technologies (LAT) has announced that its upcycling campus within the Silverstone Technology Cluster, Northamptonshire, is now fully operational following a major expansion.
The facility, the first of its kind in the world, now occupies a total of 200,000 square feet – nearly four times its original size when it opened in 2018. The business has also created 300 new jobs, making LAT comfortably the largest company within the Silverstone Technology Cluster by space and employees.
INCREASING UEV PRODUCTION The expansion means LAT can significantly increase production of its upcycled electric vehicles (UEVs), with capacity to produce 1,100 vehicles per year.
Upcycling involves taking conventional diesel-powered refuse trucks alongside other commercial vehicles and converting them to fully electric power when they reach the end of their normal working lives.
UEVs are proven to be cleaner, cheaper and better-equipped than all-new equivalents, saving money for local taxpayers and helping authorities achieve their net-zero goals. Research shows upcycling also carries over more than 80% of the originally embedded carbon from the initial vehicle production process when compared to buying new. An independent audit showed that the LAT model preserves the equivalent weight of the Eiffel Tower in carbon every year.
The additional space allows LAT to bring the majority of the upcycling in-house, giving it total quality control at every stage of the production process and enabling seamless integration of its proprietary technologies.
CUTTING-EDGE R&D LAT has substantially extended the space devoted to innovation within its Silverstone facility. The company is pursuing various avenues of technology development to make the upcycling process even more efficient and cost effective, enabling further savings for its customers.
In this spirit, LAT has already completely designed its own battery packs, fitted to the UEV the bottom up. This allows its engineers to have full control over the technology and chemistry, enabling an optimum power delivery solution based on each vehicle’s application. Batteries are fully assembled and tested on site at Silverstone allowing LAT’s world-class team to have complete oversight of quality control of these critical components.
In another industry first, LAT has developed a unique electric power take-off (ePTO) to drive the rear bin-lifting apparatus for its upcycled refuse trucks. In a normal vehicle this is powered by the diesel engine: with the ePTO, LAT has overcome the challenge of taking power from an electric vehicle (EV) battery while the vehicle itself is stationary, opening up possibilities for other commercial vehicle applications.
Other development projects include new chassis and vehicle models to meet future fleet and operator needs.
STRATEGIC LOCATION LAT’s Silverstone campus is part of an automotive and engineering community renowned worldwide as a centre of excellence and expertise. The company works closely with partner facilities such as the nearby Millbrook Proving Ground, to conduct its R&D to the same standards as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
In keeping with its wider environmental mission, the LAT facility is powered entirely by renewable energy.
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