Protecting Valuable Cars
Protecting EVs
There’s currently huge change in the automotive industry and the rise of the electric vehicle revolution is seeing the introduction of a raft of amazing new EVs and concept cars that are set to change the car industry for the foreseeable future. Automotive manufacturers are eager to give the public a glimpse into the future, however, due to the cost of research and development, coupled with their rarity, concept cars are extremely valuable. With cars being valued in the region of £2 – £5 million each, manufacturers are rightly very cautious when the cars are being displayed in the public domain.
Many pre-production cars are also still ‘works in progress’ – perhaps the engine is still missing or other features still need refining. That’s why it is important to be able to display these works of art in an environment which keeps them safe from being damaged and also interfered with. Taking a concept car from location to location is also fraught with danger. We’ve loaded numerous priceless vehicles so we have put together 5 key considerations when planning a concept car roadshow or displaying a valuable car;.”
When planning a roadshow one key factor is how to load the vehicle from the car transporter to the roadshow vehicle. As car transporters are functional vehicles they do not lend themselves to prestigious showcases. The one problem this causes is loading from one vehicle to another. At The Clear Idea one of our preferred methods of transferring the vehicle is using a breakdown recovery vehicle. This allows a more straight-forward transfer from one vehicle to another with the beds of each vehicle being adjusted to be the same height
Manpower – if there is little clearance when passing the concept car from the transporter to the display vehicle then make sure there are several helping hands on site. We find that at least four people are necessary. One person to control the car, one person on each side and a fourth person to oversee the transfer.
Give Yourself Time – loading a highly valuable concept car takes far longer than you would imagine (some of our vehicles have taken 6 hours to load!). Make sure there is plenty of time to conduct this crucial activity. Rush at your peril.
Ramps – if you are loading the car at the event venue you may need ramps. One piece of advice is to ensure the ramps are long enough that the loading angle is shallow so that there is enough clearance between the bottom of the car and the event structure. We find 6 metre ramps to be the most useful.
Securing the vehicle – once loaded make sure the vehicle is properly secured inside the event vehicle. With vehicles worth millions of pounds, you need to make sure that if the event structure is being moved with the car inside that the car is very securely lashed down to prevent moving in transit. With their wide tyres this is easier said than done. Make sure you have experienced operatives performing this task.
At the event – once on site, think about your power requirements. Is there main powers from the venue to help power the event or do you need to provide your own power source? If this is the case, think about the type of power being used. If you are displaying an electric vehicle it would be smart to have some form of electric power supply rather than a diesel generator to run the event.