- The OX truck was one of the highlights of Shell’s Make the Future event held in Chennai.
- The OX is the world’s first flat-pack truck which is designed to be a low-cost, all-terrain mobility solution in rural parts of the country.
- Co-developed by Gordon Murray Design lab and the Global Vehicle Trust.
At the inaugural Make the Future festival, Shell revealed the OX Truck at MMRT in Chennai. The OX is the world’s first “flat-pack” truck, which means it can be dismantled and assembled from a flat pack kit in less than 12 hours. According to Shell India, the OX is a potential mobility solution for accessible, efficient, all-terrain transportation in developing regions of the country.
Developed by Gordon Murray Design lab and the Global Vehicle Trust, the OX is an easy to maintain truck, suitable for the diverse and rugged Indian terrain. Although still in prototype stage, if conceptualized, the OX truck could be an alternative mobility solution in poorly connected areas to transport goods in the most cost-efficient manner. It is a low cost, low maintenance and very potent vehicle which can be put together by any semi-skilled individual. The flat-pack packing also has the advantage of transporting the truck in larger numbers compared to standard trucks.
The flat-pack design makes OX simple to maintain, have accessible components and fewer parts, thus making it ecologically sound, easy to manufacture, build and transport. The fourth prototype which was brought to India is powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder Ford-sourced diesel engine producing 100bhp and 385Nm. The transmission is a five-speed manual sending power to the front wheels only. The lightweight ladder-frame chassis combined with off-road ready OXGlide suspension makes the OX an off-road ready vehicle. Moreover, it has a payload capacity of almost 2000kilograms.
Nitin Prasad, chairman, Shell Companies in India, commenting on the OX truck, said, “Limited mobility restricts access to basic amenities in remote areas. Shell is eager to contribute to developing and promoting effective mobility solutions, thereby improving the quality of life of people in these areas. The OX is a very promising technology with immense potential to broaden access to transport possibilities. We are pleased to partner with GMD and GVT and hope this versatile vehicle will be instrumental in transforming lives and overcoming daily accessibility challenges.”
Shell India doesn’t plan to manufacturer the OX in India at the moment but asserts that testing of the prototype in the country is underway.
