This is the OX, the world's first flat-pack vehicle, which is designed to bring cheap, utilitarian transportation to the farthest reaches of the developing world.
Designed and built in Britain, the OX is designed to allow people living in remote villages and towns across Africa to undertake essential daily tasks, such as collecting drinking water and transporting grain, fertiliser or building materials.
The OX is the vision of Sir Torquil Norman, founder of the Global Vehicle Trust (GVT), who has already invested about £1million in the project and is looking to raise a further £3million in order to build a series of prototypes and put the OX into production.
As you'd expect from a truck designed to be assembled in Africa, simplicity is the guiding principle behind the OX. The truck features the minimum number of components possible in order to keep costs down and allow it to be assembled quickly. In fact, GVT claims that it takes just three people 11.5 hours to assemble the OX from flat pack; however, anyone who's ever assembled an IKEA wardrobe will know that it'll probably take about three times longer.
Cleverly, the OX is also flat-packed within itself, which is to say that it doesn't require a separate box for transportation. GVT claims that six OX vehicles can be packed into one 40ft hi-cube shipping container.
The OX has been optimised to deal with Africa's roughest terrain and has a wide track designed to aid stability on heavily rutted roads. In addition to this, it has high ground clearance and short front and rear overhangs, in order to tackle steep inclines, and can drive through up to 75cm of water.
With overall dimensions similar to the average family car, the OX weighs around 1.5 tonnes and is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine. Maximum payload is 2 tonnes, allowing the truck to carry up to 13 people, eight 44 gallon drums or three Euro pallets. When unladen, around 73 per cent of the OX's weight is over the front axle, aiding traction in slippery conditions.
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