From Automobiles to Autonomous Biomes – 2

Built in 1989, the Finnvan II was a prototype for electric vehicles made by Finnish manufacturers Imatran Voima, Neste, and Leo Laine Oy.

Designed for the national postal services, the vehicle’s top speed was 58 km/h, and its maximum range on a single charge was 60 km. It weighs 750kg, 185 of those being batteries.

The Finnvan II prototype set a mileage record on 26 September 1989, when a 555 kg battery was used to drive 197 km at an average speed of 48 km/h. The vehicle, however, was by no means well-performing. For example, it struggled to drive up-hill, especially considering the fact that the car lacked a gear box.

Three Finnvans II were ever built, since producing at a commercially viable level proved too expensive. Finnvan’s technology was carried on to develop the ELCAT Cityvan, which was produced in 1991 by Neste and Imatran Voima.

Prototype:

A prototype is like the first model or example of something you're working on. A prototype helps you better understand how a new thing works, and it allows you to make changes and improvements before the final version. It’s therefore like a practice version or trial version of a new idea.