On Monday, UK startup Helixx announced that it will utilize Siemens’ (SIEGn.DE) open digital platform to design a highly-automated ‘factory in a box’ that can be constructed anywhere to produce smaller, low-cost electric vehicles (EVs), initially for large Asian cities.
A first for the automotive industry, the ‘factory in a box’ concept was adopted by the pharmaceutical industry in response to supply chain interruptions caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
Helixx and Siemens have indicated that the ‘digital twin’ technology provided by the Siemens Xcelerator will aid in the design of the factory and the planning of supply chain needs.
According to Reuters, Helixx CEO Steve Pegg said the company plans to develop a “white label” licensed manufacturing model for established automakers and new entrants to manufacture electric vehicles under their own brand names.
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The concept of supplying a factory and “white label” EV designs for clients is novel, but several EV startups have turned to contract manufacturing like Fisker has done with Magna and Foxconn.
To put it another way, “We have reimagined the way the vehicles go together so you can get a factory producing vehicles anywhere in the world, just like a McDonald’s franchise,” said Pegg.
For densely crowded Asian cities, Helixx said the first four EV models these factories will be able to build will be a delivery van, a pickup truck, a “Tuk” (or four-wheeled version of a tuk-tuk, a motorized rickshaw), and a passenger van.
The company plans to manufacture 10,000 EVs yearly by 2025 at pilot facilities in Britain and Singapore, and it plans to construct its first 200 prototypes in the UK by 2024.
Helixx has raised roughly £1 million ($1.3 million) thus far, and according to Pegg, it will cost around £3 million to construct its prototype fleet.
FAQs
A factory in a box is a pre-fabricated, modular factory that can be assembled quickly and easily in any location. This makes it a more cost-effective and scalable option for EV manufacturing, especially for startups and small businesses.
The Helixx factory in a box is designed to be highly automated and flexible. It will use a mix of robotics and human labor to assemble EVs, and it will be able to produce a variety of different EV models. The factory will also be equipped with Siemens’ digital twin technology, which will help to optimize the manufacturing process and reduce waste.
