The annual award recognises outstanding niche vehicle R&D projects, which accelerate the transition to zero emission forms of transportation. CALLUM, along with partners Codem Composites and Nyobolt, was awarded the trophy for the outstanding CALLUM SKYE project – a lightweight, rapid-charge, all electric ATV. In particular, the use of sustainable materials to produce the bodywork and the ultra-fast charging battery were noted as being particularly significant innovations within the niche vehicle sector.

The project developed a body exterior set of panels made from Flax Composite with Bio-Resin, manufactured using a HALO tooling board which uses bio-content to improve its sustainability and its CO2 emissions. For this programme 100% bio-content was used on the tooling, proving that it is possible to build vehicle body panels using this material & tooling. This innovative use of materials and tooling, implemented by CODEM, achieved a substantial CO²e savings of over 10,000kg for the build of the prototype vehicle alone compared to more traditional composite materials, setting a new standard for sustainable manufacturing.

The project also demonstrated a novel battery pack, developed by Nyobolt, built with production intent cells and modules which deliver ultra-fast charge capabilities (the 35kWh pack can fully charge in under 10 minutes). The potential for vehicles to be recharged in such a short period – without significant degradation of the battery life – is an exciting development which addresses an area of concern for many potential BEV customers, which can be applied to other vehicle types and sectors.

Scott Thompson, Programme Director for the Niche Vehicle Network, said:

“We’re delighted that the Callum Skye has been awarded the Nick Carpenter Innovation Trophy this year. It’s been great to see the team at Callum create an exciting new vehicle design that not only looks fantastic, but also demonstrates real world innovation with the materials and technology it’s built with. The potential embedded CO2 reductions that have been realised through the use of sustainable materials with both the panels and tooling could be immediately transferrable to other vehicles across the niche sector, which is an important development to help support the transition towards net zero. Also seeing the potential offered by UK designed ultra-fast battery technology is really exciting too. The ability to charge in such a short time without degrading the life and performance of the battery could be a game changer for the niche sector and other high-performance products.”

Adam Donfrancesco Co-Founder and Engineering Director of CALLUM Said:

 “I’m delighted to receive the Nick Carpenter award for innovation on behalf of our team at CALLUM and our consortium partners, Nyobolt and Codem.

“The funding offered by the NVN has been invaluable our project; it has allowed us to build a working prototype to explore and develop technologies planned for our future production of CALLUM SKYE. I’d like to thank the team at the Niche Vehicle Network for their guidance and the opportunity in this competition, and to our fantastic team at CALLUM.”

 The NVN Nick Carpenter Innovation Award was created in memory of pioneering Technical Director and co-founder of Delta Motorsport, Nick Carpenter, a key figure within the EV industry and NVN advocate. It celebrates the visionaries behind the latest cutting-edge niche vehicle design and sustainable technology.