Lunaz has announced an ambitious new growth phase supported by a group of strategic investors that includes the Reuben and Barclay families and Alexander Dellal alongside David Beckham. The company established a global presence in vehicle electrification through its work furthering the legacies of the most celebrated classic cars in history. It has electrified Range Rover, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Jaguar sports cars through its Lunaz Design brand. The 1961 Bentley Continental Flying Spur by Lunaz was awarded by BBC Top Gear in its ‘Electric Vehicle Awards’ issue.
Since Lunaz started production of its first cars in 2019 it has drawn an entirely new generation to some of the most revered marques in history, attracted by the reliability, usability and sustainability of electric vehicles. This growth has accelerated as individual and hospitality buyers across the globe rebalance their fleets in response to increasing pressure from legislators to limit the use of high-emissions vehicles in city-centres.
“The upcycling of existing passenger, industrial and commercial vehicles presents a sustainable alternative to replacing with new” said David Lorenz, Founder and CEO, Lunaz. “Our approach will save fleet operators capital while dramatically reducing waste in the global drive towards de-carbonisation. There is evidence everywhere in the global economy that responsibility and commerciality are no longer mutually exclusive. This top tier investor commitment is testament to Lunaz’ path to defining the market for remanufacturing and conversion to clean-air powertrains.”
The injection of growth capital has also inspired Lunaz to announce ambitious plans to include the upcycling and electrification of industrial vehicles on a mass global scale. The company will begin with industrial HGV vehicles including refuse trucks, of which 80 million currently exist in the UK, EU and USA alone.
The Lunaz remanufacturing and electrification process will extend the life of up to 70 percent of the existing weight and embedded carbon within a vehicle. It also saves fleet operators significant costs compared with replacing existing vehicles with new. For example, a municipal authority could save more than 43 percent in the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of an upcycled and electrified refuse truck versus replacing their existing fleet with new equivalent electric vehicles.
The Lunaz proprietary powertrain has been developed under the technical leadership of Managing Director and Technical Lead Jon Hilton. As a global leader in powertrain engineering he has won three F1 World Championships as Technical Director and pioneered the use of hybrid technology from motorsport for mainstream industrial and passenger vehicles. He successfully grew and exited Flybrid in 2016. The Lunaz proprietary powertrain is modular in design meaning it can be applied to nearly every class, size and classification of vehicle.
By 2030 when internal combustion engine (ICE) bans in major markets come into effect, more than 2 billion conventionally powered vehicles will exist on the planet. Remanufacturing, upcycling and electrification can prevent a large proportion of these vehicles from being scrapped. This approach is in line with the principles of the rapidly emerging circular economy.
The Lunaz Group’s industrial vehicles offering, delivered through the Lunaz Applied Technologies business, will initially focus on heavy industrial vehicle classes 6, 7 and 8. This includes HGVs, refuse trucks, fire engines and commercial vehicles. By taking vehicles and upcycling them using components proven over millions of miles, the Lunaz solution is de-risked and provides an instantly deployable alternative to ICE vehicles or new EV vehicles.
To meet these ambitions and following sustained demand for converted classic cars, Lunaz has moved into an expanded manufacturing facility adjacent to its current site within the Silverstone Technology Cluster. This position provides Lunaz with essential proximity to the very best automotive, engineering and technology talent. The new facility will serve as the permanent manufacturing HQ for Lunaz Design and the R&D Centre for Lunaz Applied Technologies and Lunaz Powertrains.
From this global R&D and Technical HQ, the Lunaz Group will manage a network of manufacturing facilities placed in proximity to its major global markets. The company is already in discussions with European governments seeking to attract fast-growth clean-technology engineering businesses.
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