Lunaz to expand UK electric vehicle upcycling plant

Lunaz Applied Technologies - which specialises in the remanufacture and electrification of industrial vehicles - has announced a major expansion of its Silverstone Upcycling Campus, a facility established to convert diesel-powered industrial vehicles to full electric power.

The expansion will see the facility grow by 140,000 square foot and enable Lunaz to create 1,100 UEVs annually satisfying a surging demand for upcycled electric vehicles (UEV) that will be key to helping fleet operators meet their net zero ambitions.   The investment will also create 300 new jobs.

As well as helping fleet operators reach their net zero goals -  LAT has invested in technology to reduce its own environmental footprint. The new upcycling campus will be highly thermally efficient and use heating powered by sustainably-generated electricity, all tools used by production experts will be battery-operated and vehicle ramps will be fitted with a kinetic energy recovery system to minimise power usage.

LAT’s UEV upcycling process begins with an initial inspection and removal of the rear body, reclaiming the vehicle’s lubricants and other fluids, and stripping it to a bare chassis.

This is then shot-blasted using steel materials that can be reclaimed and reused more than 200 times, before being painted with hardwearing materials normally used on jet engine fan-blade housings for maximum longevity.

All external and internal vehicle plastics are repaired and recoated – what is not reusable, down to the nylon in the seatbelt cord, is recycled.

The electrical circuits, air lines, bushings and brake systems are renewed with recycled components built by OEM suppliers. Advanced monitors are fitted in place of the wing mirrors to improve all-round visibility and safety; the analogue dashboard instruments are replaced with three screens, giving the UEV a five-star Driver Vision Standard (DVS) rating.

The original internal combustion engine is removed, decommissioned and sent for recycling. LAT then fits its proprietary UEV electric powertrain, which includes a modular battery designed for the specific route where the UEV will operate.

“This development will enable us to unlock the vast potential of UEV technology to break the replace-with-new cycle and bring us ever closer to carbon neutrality….. Firms like Lunaz which operate in the principles of the circular economy show that British industry can provide potent answers to the global need to transition to less impactful industrial practices” said Lunaz founder David Lorenz.