Los Angeles-based “visionary” electric automotive company Neuron EV has this week unveiled a pair of new electric utility vehicles which the company promises “has the potential to transform the automotive industry” thanks in part to the vehicles’ modular nature.
The Neuron EV MET (or Medium-Duty Electric Truck) and the Neuron EV Star, a multipurpose micro truck, are built with an interchangeable rear to optimise its functional versatility and allows the vehicles to swap components for various situations.
More specifically, the Neuron EV MET is a multi-functional vehicle which will be able to serve a wide array of commercial applications such as urban logistics, sanitation, construction, and mining.
Built on a standard truck structure modified to integrate electric propulsion, the vehicle’s support structure supports both rigid and articulating truck frames providing significant flexibility.
The Neuron EV STAR – branded as “an urban eco truck that radiates with fun personality – is a multipurpose micro truck which Neuron EV expects is “set to disrupt the market by creating a new wave of electric car culture.”
Designed with a clean and minimalistic design, the STAR “is reflecting of the company’s product philosophy of simply versatile.”
“When your purpose is clear, design becomes effortless,” says Kevin Lee, Neuron EV’s Director of Digital Design, somewhat vaguely.
“Character is not something you fabricate. It’s innate from the foundation. Simple but complex.”
“I want to take this everywhere I go,” says Neuron EV Branding Specialist Casey Hyun of the STAR, adding that today’s vehicles lack practicality and prioritize style over function.
“People carry their mobile devices everywhere because it empowers their lifestyle. We’ve lost that kind of car culture, and the STAR is Neuron’s way of making cars more enjoyable.”
The news comes less than a month after the company announcedthat the Neuron EV product line will be on show in an exclusive preview at an upcoming international event in November.
In the company’s somewhat amorphous September announcement, Neuron EV pointed to figures which show that the electric vehicle market is worth $10 trillion (AU$14.9 trillion) today and is expected to reach 27 million units by 2030 – a rapid uptick in growth from an estimated 3 million units in 2019.
As for the global electric utility vehicle market, some valuations put this at around $15 billion ($A22.3 billion) by 2025.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.