Daily Archives: 2024-10-09

At the Hanover commercial vehicle exhibition, in a hidden corner of a huge exhibition hall, I stumbled upon those three trucks. At first, I thought they were movie sets. They are so surreal and futuristic. But I was wrong. Kaiyun Energy is a completely real Hong Kong company that focuses on green energy and also incidentally manufactures trucks. Those small, medium, and large trucks made of stainless steel are not models nor individually modified show cars. Instead, they have already passed the prototype stage and are allegedly truly existing and purchasable products.

As I walked hunched over among the grey pictures, I slowly moved among the machines that were much more vivid and impressively shaped than the pictures. Gradually, the two guards of the booth, a Chinese man and a Chinese girl, came up to me. I told them how much I liked these things, and they responded to my compliment kindly. Later, I found out that the Chinese girl is the translator for the man who speaks English better than her. And this man is the genius who designed these shapes. They told me that these vehicles are actually just waiting for customers, and they can be manufactured with diesel engines, battery-powered electric systems and hydrogen power.

Kaiyun is excellent in design, but unimaginative in naming. The small machine is called “One Meter” because it is one meter wide. The medium-sized one is called “Ten Cubic”, which is very reasonable because its cargo space is twelve cubic meters. If the largest machine did not have a conference room facility and was brought to Hanover in its original towed design, it would be called “Tractor”.

(Kaiyun Tractor: As a three – axle tractor, it can be made with 490 – horsepower electric, 462 – horsepower diesel or 707 – horsepower hydrogen power, and its price is €95,000, €105,000 or €132,000.)

(Kaiyun Ten Cubic: The price of the battery – powered version is €33,000, that of the diesel version is €36,000, and that of the hydrogen – technology version is €39,000.)

(Kaiyun One Meter: Powered by electricity, it costs 4,000 euros, equipped with a 16 – kWh battery and has a maximum speed of 70 km/h.)

The doors of the vehicles could be opened, and it was also free to sit in the driver’s seat. Looking at the cars more closely, they were very simple and in some places quite primitive, but I saw practical, durable, and robust technology (at least in terms of the structure. I couldn’t disassemble the engine compartment of any of the cars), but surely in the eyes of many professional buyers, this rather increases than decreases the value of the concept.

The stunning overall effect is composed of extremely simple details.

Paint the primitive piping system red enough and it will be the coolest truck cab we can imagine. Even the speckled artificial leather carpet won’t spoil the effect. Moreover, this shoddy stuff makes the whole thing more desirable in some perverse way.

The interior of the smaller truck is raised by a red – painted reinforcement.

The shift – knob is the kind that was seen in Japanese cars twenty years ago (the appearance is very familiar.

The concept behind the unpainted steel plates can achieve the reduction of environmental pressure (load).

The eye – catching but actually very simple design that enables the manufacturing technology and the purist implementation are convincing: I believe that these commercial vehicles are indeed real products. According to the brochures obtained at the booth, Kaiyun can make its vehicles suitable for a variety of special tasks: from the open – topped sightseeing minibus, through the dump truck, all the way to the food truck, they can make anything. I wish them success in Europe, because I would be very happy to see this technically – edged, cool – looking form in its unadorned simplicity appear more frequently in the local cities and on the roads!

The IAA Transportation 2024 exhibition held in Hanover from September 17 to 22 is an important commercial vehicle event. A large number of new products will be exhibited, including some unusual ones. Now let’s take a look at the surprising vehicles displayed by Kaiyun Energy, a Chinese manufacturer that has set its sights on Europe.

(Par Gatien-Hugo RiposseauPublié le 21/09/2024 – 08:00 Mis à jour le 23/09/2024 – 10:04. The Chinese manufacturer Kaiyun Energy has launched a series of multi-functional vehicles, whose styling can be described as disturbing at least.)

The Old Continent is coveted not only by Chinese automobile brands. Commercial vehicle manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom are also making their presence felt here. While Maxus and BYD are already present, some of their competitors will follow suit. This is the case for the manufacturer Kaiyun Energy, which has presented vehicles with astonishing looks. What’s their common point? An immoderate taste for cubic volumes, giving the impression that they come straight out of a science fiction movie. Spotlight on the three models that are unlike any others and are on display at the IAA Transportation 2024 show in Hanover.

Ten Cubic: Harvester or Swiss Army knife?

One of the most atypical is probably the Ten Cubic, a 2-ton van with a loading volume of 12 cubic meters. Its harvester-like front impresses. Its square and almost completely flat windshield is simply gigantic. And what about its perfectly smooth sides or its shoebox-like silhouette?

(Under its harvester-like appearance, the Ten Cubic is capable of transporting 4 tons of payload. It is available in battery electric, diesel and gasoline versions.)

This geometric utility vehicle that is 5.99 meters long, 2.40 meters wide and 2 meters high has more than one string to its bow. Capable of transporting 4 tons and adopting several configurations, it can be used for refrigerated transportation, delivery, moving and even cleaning services. Another particularity: it comes in three versions, with prices starting between €33,000 and €39,000. The electric version has a WLTP range of 240 kilometers with its 48 kWh battery. The more expensive diesel (€36,000) and hydrogen (€39,000) variants offer a more comfortable range of 1,000 kilometers.

One meter: A passkey but not unnoticed.

The smallest model presented by the manufacturer based in Hong Kong is the One meter. It is a mini-vans only 1 meter wide. With a length of 3.70 meters and a height of 1.76 meters, it has the advantage of being able to slip through almost anywhere while offering a payload of 500 kg, equal to its unladen weight. An asset that destines it for last-mile delivery or street cleaning. But not only that, as there are also possibilities for conversion into a food truck or a mini-mobile workshop for street artists. Its silhouette shows two distinct volumes.

(The One meter lives up to its name with its width of exactly 1 meter. Intended for last-mile delivery, it can also be converted into a mini-food truck or a mobile workshop for street artists. Its prices start at €4,000.)

The larger part is dedicated both to loading a volume of 1.68 cubic meters and to the driver’s seat, accessible through a door comparable to that of an electric wine cellar. The second part, located just in front of the driver’s seat, is reserved for its powertrains. Because, like the Ten Cubic, the One meter has three versions that use as many different energies. All offer a range of 200 kilometers. The electric version, priced at €4,000, has a tiny 16 kWh battery. A little more expensive (€4,700), the diesel variant with the appetite of a sparrow (2.8 liters/100 km) is content with a 5.5-liter tank. Priced at €5,200, the hydrogen One meter consumes only 0.5 kg of this ecological fuel to cover 100 kilometers.

“Kaiyun One Meter, the delivery vehicle that can travel the streets and alleys, is both safe and green! #kaiyunenergy #hydrogen. pic.twitter.com/5aRoi3DSJV — Kaiyun Energy (@KaiyunEnergy) May 20, 2024.”

Tractor: A futuristic semi-trailer.

The most imposing model in the Chinese manufacturer’s range is the Tractor. A not really original name for this road tractor whose design appears inspired by that of the Tesla Cybertruck. Here again the lines are sharply cut and there are many angles. The windshield is oversized. Its payload of 40 tons destines it to tow the heaviest loads on the road, where it should turn heads with its futuristic look. This is especially true in the configuration presented at the IAA Transportation show, where it was hitched to a custom-made trailer for it. The vehicle will be offered in battery electric versions with a range of 300 kilometers, diesel (870 kilometers) and hydrogen (800 kilometers), at base prices ranging from €95,000 to €132,000.

(The Tractor is a futuristic-looking road tractor measuring 7.30 meters long, 2.55 meters wide and 3.45 meters high. Like the other two models on display, it can adopt a battery electric, diesel or hydrogen powertrain.)

Speziell für den Einsatz im Bergbau oder unter anderen schwierigen Bedingungen konzipiert sind die Fahrzeuge der chinesischen Firma „Kaiyon Energy“. Sie haben eine Edelstahl-Hülle und können mit Wasserstoff betrieben werden.

（Zhao Guoxin (25) presents the stainless – steel truck of “Kaiyun Energy” company.Photo: Marcus Prell）