mReview: 2022 EV ABS Fridge - A Literal Fridge On Wheels!
We’ve been in, driven, and seen all sorts of vehicles in our line of work. But it’s not often that we get a vehicle as novel as the EV ABS Fridge.
We’ve been in, driven, and seen all sorts of vehicles in our line of work. But it’s not often that we get a vehicle as novel as the EV ABS Fridge.The snazzy name betrays this van’s literal coolest feature. Peel back the badging and the van form factor, and you’d realise that what you are driving is, in essence, a motorised fridge. Yes, this is probably the first vehicle in the world to come factory-equipped with an industrial grade freezer.
Right off the bat, I can vouch for the “Fridge” bit of the equation. However, how does the “Van” bit fair? And how is the vehicle like to live with as a whole?
A Short History Lesson
You’d probably have been in a Golden Dragon product at some point - the Chinese marque has had official representation in Singapore for a couple of years now, selling mostly coaches for private operators.
Diversification is the name of the game here, and the boffins back in Xiamen figured that there was a gap in the Singapore market for electrified commercial vehicles. Which then leads us to their line-up of electric minivan and minivan-based products.
What’s The Deal With That Fridge?
The entire volume of the cargo compartment in this van has been occupied by a five cubic metre cooled chamber. It is capable of ensuring your perishables are kept at temperatures as low as -20°C. You can access this fridge from both the rear and the left cargo door (the cargo door on the right is welded shut).
Is The “Van” Bit Any Less Competent?
This EV ABS Fridge weighs in at a little under two tons. Drive is provided by a 107 bhp electric motor, which then draws its current from a 50.23 kWh battery pack.
As with a diesel commercial vehicle, it’s the torque figure that matters, and this van produces 270 Nm of instantaneous torque. This robust output allows this fridge to not only keep up with traffic, but also feel decently spritely whilst doing it too. Not that it matters in a Singapore context, as you can legally only do 70 km/h in this machine, but from the factory, it has a claimed top speed of 105 km/h.
It may have an estimated real-world range of 190 kilometres, but this figure wildly varies based on external factors - think traffic, the amount of load carried, overall driving style and even the temperature of the fridge.
And you’d want to keep a close eye on those parameters too - with a max DC charging rate of only 30 kW, you’d be spending quite a bit of time recharging. The max AC charging rate is 7 kW, which means it’d take seven hours to fully top-off the battery pack from empty.
One noteworthy mechanical trait of this van is its impressive turning circle of just six metres. To put that in perspective, London’s Black Cabs have a minimum turning circle of 7.62 metres.
The Cabin
This is a commercial vehicle, so you’d probably have expected a cabin devoid of any fancy schmancy materials. The dashboard and door cards are made out of various hard plastics, vinyl has been used to trim the steering wheel and the seats, and the floor mates have been made out of a durable rubberised material.
On the move, wind noise can also be a little intrusive, possibly due to the lack of sound insulation in the vehicle. And you can’t exactly drown out the ruckus with the frankly lacklustre generic double DIN head unit and basic speakers - there just isn’t enough auditory oomph.
The thermostat controls for the cooled compartment are placed on the dashboard for easy adjustment and monitoring of temperatures.
Overall, build quality is a mixed bag. Squeaks and rattles can be heard while moving, and the wiring loom can be seen on the underside of the exposed dashboard. Otherwise, the fridge is well installed, and everything works as intended.
As a utility tool, there really isn’t much to complain about.
Conclusion
It may have its flaws, but there’s one very big draw of the EV ABS Fridge - it is quite possibly the most affordable commercial vehicle in Singapore with a refrigerated compartment.
And it does all this whilst emitting zero emissions. There’s no denying that range is sub-optimal, and you’d probably have to get used to spending time at charging stations. But what this does offer, is long-term savings on running costs. With fewer moving parts than an equivalent ICE van there’s just less to go wrong, which means lower overall maintenance costs. Also, electricity is usually cheaper than Diesel too.
For businesses that require vehicular transport with a refrigerated compartment but do not want to use lorries, this could be an ideal solution, as just about anyone with a Class 3/3A licence is able to drive it. Plus, it could just be that cool touch needed to complement your business.
| EV ABS Fridge Specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price: $POA | VES Band: A1 | |
Motor: Electric |
Capacity: n/a |
Power: 80 kW (107 bhp), 270Nm |
Transmission: Single-Speed |
Driven Wheels: Front |
Consumption: 4.38 km/kWh |
0-100km/h: n/a |
Top Speed: 105 km/h |
Battery Capacity: 50.23 kWh |
|
Dimensions:
5,030 mm x 1,700 mm x 1,980 mm
|
Wheelbase: 2,590mm
|
Cargo Capacity: n/a |
Photo Credit: ACube Creative (@weareacube)
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