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home / programmes / research associates / 2003 / alero
Owen Evans / Vehicle Design
optare alero CSV:
a service delivery vehicle for excluded
rural communities
click for larger image
Despite a raft of social inclusion policies by the Government and local authorities, many of the UK's most deprived communities - both rural and urban - remain geographically isolated in terms of services.
At least three-quarters of Britain's 17,000 small rural villages have no daily bus service, village shop or school-age childcare facilities. They are excluded in terms of transport and services - and many inner-city estates and districts are similarly deprived.
Forty per cent of the UK population now lives in the 88 most deprived local authority areas, against a backdrop of vanishing local economic outlets. Between 1995 and 2000 Britain lost 20 per cent of its vital community institutions, such as corner shops, grocers, high street banks, post offices and pubs - 30,000 outlets in total. By 2005, a further 28,000 stand to be lost.
Missed opportunities
Many opportunities exist for mobile services to reach local people in isolated communities. But according to Owen Evans, a 2002 RCA graduate in Industrial Design Engineering, these opportunities are missed because of the lack of a suitable delivery vehicle that is versatile, fully accessible and visually appealing to the public.
Evans has spent a year working on the concept of an all-purpose service delivery vehicle for excluded communities in the RCA's Vehicle Design Department. His partner is Optare, the Yorkshire-based bus and coach manufacturer which is part of North American Bus Industries.
The project explored how a new Optare model - the Alero, a 16-seater low-floor vehicle that is an exemplar of passenger accessibility - could be adapted to address the problems of rural and inner city social exclusion.
"The idea arose through an analysis of the Alero's capabilities in relation to leisure, corporate, health and local authority markets," explains Evans, whose automotive background includes stints with Cosworth Racing and Ricardo Consulting Engineers.
The project analysed existing mobile services and future community needs. Gradually a picture emerged of a vehicle with display, desking and storage facilities within a reconfigurable interior that would be capable of providing the widest range of mobile services. Health education, youth outreach work, retail services, IT training, library and literacy services, citizens advice, and police and fire service liaison were among those services identified as community priorities.
Interior mock-ups
A series of interior layouts were tested and validated by a group of older and mobility-impaired people, using a full-size mock-up in the Vehicle Design Studio at the RCA. Key findings were then fed back into the design process to shape the development of the vehicle package.
The new vehicle is called the Alero CSV (Community Service Vehicle) and it has a number of elements designed to give the vehicle maximum versatility. Roof-mounted awnings create the ability to 'host' events in a welcoming, open space in front of the vehicle. A dedicated trailer is included as an option to increase workspace or storage capacity, based on a standard Alero body shell. Roof-mounted air conditioning can be added for extended working periods in hot weather.
Inside the vehicle, an electric generator has been packaged at the rear to provide power for onboard systems. Above this is a storage space that is accessible from the vehicle interior. Two removable tables provide workspace in the rear section, which can also serve as a private meeting room with the addition of a dividing wall. In the centre section, fixing rails provide the means to secure a number of movable elements - small and large desks, seating, storage units, bookshelves, entertainment and catering equipment .
Capabilities of the Optare Alero CSV have been demonstrated using virtual modelling techniques. According to Optare chairman Russell Richardson, "Having addressed the main design issues in the research, we are now test marketing the concept with a view to signing up potential customers and project funders."
research partner: Optare