PRESS INFORMATION FROM AIXAM MEGA

Mega multitruck: a cracking idea whose time has come 

If you want to crack a nut, you can always use a bigger hammer. However, the bigger the hammer the more it costs; the greater the effort you need to swing it; the more likelihood there is of the nut being smashed instead of cracked.

How often have you needed a man on site with minimal tools to carry out a minor operation, only to have to send a full sized van to pick up a dropped bag of refuse? How often have your employees had to stop at the park gates because their full sized van would damage the footpath or the grass if it went any further? The chances are the answer is, all too often.

For the first time in the UK market the Mega offers a compact, lightweight, four wheel, weatherproof environment for tackling the lighter jobs in waste and facilities management.

The Mega is compact; it has pedestrian friendly, impact absorbing, polycarbonate body panels, a lightweight chassis and body and is designed to be manoeuvrable and nippy within urban and industrial or commercial settings. It has the ability to access tight alleys and backstreets where a conventional vehicle has access problems, and the Mega's visual impact on city streets is much less intrusive than that of a typical full sized van. In fact, the compact size and appearance of the Mega can be considered as conspicuous conservation; proof that the operator is taking his Agenda 21 responsibilities seriously by tailoring the tools to fit the job.

By any stretch of the imagination the 479cc diesel with its minimalist service requirements and low parts costs; and returning around 80miles per gallon is a sound environmental choice. The constantly variable transmission ensures the most efficient use of the available power at all times. Driving could not be simpler; the Mega is truly a "press and go" vehicle. 

If low emissions are a key factor in fleet purchasing there is little that can match the electric powered Mega. Where the location is right the electric Mega with its range of 62 miles - rechargeable overnight - gives an excellent, emission-free, light utility vehicle for city centre, hospital and clean space working. With an electrically controlled automatic transmission the electric mega can be given a set maximum speed, ensuring safe operation in pedestrian precincts and extending the duty cycle. A total recharge is carried out from "flat" to full charge in seven hours, allowing the electric Mega to operate a full complete shift, recharge overnight from any mains socket and be ready for work the following day.

Compared to a conventional vehicle the diesel Mega has a more frequent service interval at 3,000 miles, but service costs are low, oil and filter for £15, brake shoes £10, discs £15 each. If it does receive body panel damage, the panels can be trimmed off with a sharp knife and replacements simple bonded in place. The Mega wins on ease of use, service and maintenance by any measure. 

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At the end of its service life it may have been depreciated to zero, but at half the price of a conventional vehicle, the write down is only the same as would be incurred in the first year of ownership of a Vauxhall Astra van, for example. Moreover, the Mega's aluminium chassis and polycarbonate body panels are fully recyclable. When taken along with the glass, and the wheels and tyres this makes the Mega virtually 100 per cent recyclable - an added bonus for the environmentally sound operator. Some waste operators could possibly even recycle the Mega at their own recycling plant, keeping the whole job an in-house operation.

Returning to our opening analogy, no-one wouldn't think of cracking a groundnut shell with a sledgehammer, the Mega is a little cracker that is ideally suited to those lightweight tasks in grounds-keeping and waste management where a full size vehicle is an overkill.

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Note to editors:

The Mega is available as a chassis cab ready to accept a custom-built body, a van with twin rear doors or a rear roller shutter door with an optional roller shutter side door, a drop side pick-up, a dropside tipper, (either with a rear cage), and a mini skip rear body, which enables one Mega to service several skip equipped waste point located around a facility such as a shopping mall, hospital or holiday park.


Images available for download at www.aardvarkpr.co.uk/downloads.htm

Editors' contact:	Ewan Scott 	Aardvark Associates tel. 01484 864 520 
(mob. 07951 963 433) or 01308 897 911

Company contact:			Aixam Mega tel. 01788 553 330

Please note that this document is for information only and is non-contractural;
both Aardvark Associates and Aixam Mega decline all liability in the case of omissions or errors.