Venari ⨉ Heliguy™'s Drone Support Vehicle - E2
After the public announcement of Venari and Heliguy™'s collaborative drone support vehicle at the Emergency Services Show at The NEC in Birmingham, we’ve been speaking to both companies to get more details on this custom Ford Ranger and take a look at some of the technology on board.
Venari Group is a premium quality builder of emergency vehicles and an equipment supplier for the emergency services. They pride themselves in an unrivalled degree of quality, passion and obsession for customer satisfaction, whilst driving British manufacturing to its fullest.
Venari have extensive experience in building EMS variant vehicles with exceptional results and this drone support Ford Ranger is no different.
The Ranger is powered by the factory specification 2.0l EcoBlue engine prviding 130PS. First up on the long modification list is the Comforser CF1100 A/T tyres; providing extra grip no matter the weather or terrain, these are combined with black out wheels for a stealthier appearance. The truck’s suspension has been uprated to air suspension, which not only helps to carry the small amount of extra load in the rear of the vehicle but also adds the ability to maintain and/or increase the ride hide for helping with access in emergency situations.
Venari displayed the Ranger DRU alongside their Transit Patient Transport Service vehicle, Ford Venari Siren (3.5t ambulance) and a Lightweight Transit Fire Fighting vehicle at the Emergency Services Show in September.
Due to this vehicle being produced for potential EMS use, the Ranger has been kitted out with numerous hazard warning systems and blue emergency lights. An Aegis LED lightbar, Micro Blast LED modules and stealth reg plate from Standby RSG provide warning to other road users which is controllable via the in cab MCS-TSC Touch Screen Controller.
-
The Ford Ranger is a versatile chassis and a perfect platform to build from. The agile, lightweight trademarks of the Ranger allowed Venari to produce the DRU (Drone Response Unit) that can respond quickly, whilst offering class leading ‘off-road’ capabilities – a critical feature for our customers.
The popularity and wide-scale use of the Ford Ranger results in a complete, harmonious compatibility with most suppliers’ components – crucial for a converter like Venari.
In addition, Venari’s alliance with Ford as an approved QVM, allows for the quick procurement of a chassis. In turn leading to reduced lead times for our customers in a time where supply chain issues post-covid continue to be felt.
-
Design engineering is critical in all our vehicle builds. The DRU was no exception. Venari’s design engineers worked closely with our partner Heliguy to identify all the drone components required, pre-build. This allowed for custom designed electrical looms, racking/storage solutions and charging stations to be designed with space and weight distribution in mind.
The nature of Drone Technology is that it needs to be lightweight. As a result, the DRU did not require the suspension to be modified for the weight it now carried. Rather, for driver comfort and to maintain ride height and handling.
-
Venari uses industry-leading suppliers, and the rear canopy is no exception. Built to be versatile and on a Ford Ranger Chassis, the canopy allowed for a fully customisable internal configuration. Storage, electrics, and battery temperature regulation, for both the leisure batteries and drone flight batteries, were amongst a few of the bespoke modifications to be installed.
-
We worked closely in the design stage with Heliguy to identify all high-current energy draws. We supplied these components by using cutting-edge technology including a LiFePO4 power source. The system works on a load-shedding logic control system. This allows priority circuits to maintain current flow whilst shutting down systems less critical. Alerts are given to the operator as these events happen.
-
The DRU is fitted with a central control system, operated in either the front cab via a touch screen controller, or through an eight-button keypad in the rear canopy. This system also allows for the control of various components, including: the lightbar, side, internal, and ‘night’ mode lights.
Remote access to key information, regarding battery voltages, temperatures and the live view CCTV are accessible via a mobile phone - allowing the user to view vehicle data and operational performance without being stood next to the vehicle.
One of the most critical elements of the build was the installation of a Temperature Control System to regulate the flight batteries and leisure batteries’ temperatures to stay within the optimum range. To maintain peak battery performance, whilst offering continuous mobile charging the DRU has a custom, temperature-controlled system throughout the rear canopy. The temperature is monitored through onboard sensors and continually ensures a perfect environment is maintained autonomously.
-
Emergency Services, Utility services and professional UAS operators. The DRU has been built for a myriad of Drone related uses.
-
The DRU is the UK’s most advanced drone vehicle. Consequently, several components are not native to vehicle builds. However, through careful planning and creative design we have been able to integrate these components beyond their usual parameters – allowing for usually fixed use mechanisms to be taken anywhere, anytime.