A company which produces powerbanks for electric vans has opened its new headquarters in Bicester.

TUAL has established its new base at Bicester Motion, a 444-acre future mobility estate.

The facility will complement the company's technical development and engineering centre, as well as its planned assembly line in Glasgow.

A TUAL powerbankA TUAL powerbank (Image: Bicester Heritage)

Philip Clarke, CEO and founder of TUAL, said: "Bicester Motion provides TUAL with an industry-leading launchpad for accelerating the development of our unique, cutting-edge electric commercial-vehicle charging solutions.

"From world-class engineering expertise, to a host of on-site specialist partners, proximity to the advanced propulsion centre team, and its inspiring entrepreneurial culture, Bicester Motion is a natural location for us to propel our business forward.

"We intend to scale our commercial operations at Bicester, in parallel with the expansion of technical operations in Glasgow, to help businesses make a success of the electric commercial-vehicle transition – now and in the future."

The company has identified that there is an urgent need for enterprise fleets and original equipment manufacturers to adopt electric light commercial vehicles, with fleet contracts demanding the integration of zero-emission vans and regulatory pressures requiring vehicle-manufacturers to deliver them.

However, TUAL has seen that current driving-range and vehicle-charging challenges have created a significant cost-burden on businesses.

It is estimated 40 per cent of van use-cases exceed the real-world electric light commercial vehicles range and 70 per cent of van drivers cannot charge at home or a depot.

The company's conversations with industry stakeholders show that over a five-year period, lost productivity from charging downtime can cost fleets up to £150,000 per driver or vehicle.

TUAL's portable powerbanks have been optimised to help enterprise fleets overcome grid and vehicle constraints by providing vehicle-range extension and overnight charging, regardless of location.

The company is formed of a team of eight industry specialists, with plans to grow to 30 across three continents by 2026.

Its arrival at Bicester Motion makes it the first high-performance battery specialist and business dedicated to commercial vehicles and enterprise fleets at the site.

It will be joining the likes of NEOM McLaren Electric Racing, Polestar, urban electric two-wheeler manufacturer Zapp and synthetic fuel developer Zero Petroleum.

Daniel Geoghegan, Bicester Motion's chief executive, said: "We warmly welcome TUAL to our thriving future mobility community.

"Their innovative technology has the capability of transforming commercial vehicle EV infrastructure.

"We look forward to seeing their growth continue to accelerate in their new home."

Bicester Motion presents a central location for business and product development, reinforced by robust static- and live-drive environments for showcasing and testing TUAL’s technology.