Active Materials & Manufacturing Engineering

Project LEAP (Light) - Lightweight and Electrifying ATV Performance

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Callum, a high-end vehicle design firm, is building a lightweight, on-road electric ATV called SKYE to replace the diesel and petrol models that currently dominate the market. This matters because most all-terrain vehicles still run on internal combustion engines, producing emissions and relying on heavy steel chassis. The project tackles two specific engineering bottlenecks: the chassis is too heavy for efficient electric range, and the body panels are typically made from high-waste materials unsuitable for small production runs. LEAP Light will develop novel lightweight chassis structures and environmentally low-impact, A-class quality composite body systems designed for low-volume manufacturing. If successful, the project will deliver a verification prototype by its close, proving that an electric ATV can hit a commercial price point without sacrificing durability. This could shift the utility vehicle sector—used by farms, estates, and off-road services—toward electrification without requiring mass-production economies of scale. It also secures localised UK supply chains and accelerates domestic development timeframes, reducing reliance on overseas manufacturing for niche vehicles.

View original technical description
LEAP Light will develop a new lightweight, on-road, electric ATV (named SKYE) at a commercial price point to replace the ICE derivatives dominating the market. Delivered by Callum, a leading high-end vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing firm, secures localised supply chains and accelerates UK-based development timeframes, delivering a vehicle to "verification prototype" by project close. The project focuses on the development of novel lightweight chassis structures and environmentally low-impact A-class quality composite body systems suitable for low volume vehicle manufacture.

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Original classification

Legacy Department of Trade & Industry

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