As of December 2022, SuperSprings International (SSI) has been supporting the Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) and the Institute for Affordable Transportation, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization, with suspension components for its BUVs built and shipped worldwide.
BUV provides a low-cost, highly practical vehicle entirely based on the needs of the community it serves, typically rural communities. SuperSprings said when a rural community gets connected with a BUV, the community can better access healthcare, food, marketplaces and schools.
“The BUV has been designed from the ground up to be rugged, affordable, and easy to operate and maintain,” Institute for Affordable Transportation Executive Director Will Austin said. “Our partnership with SSI delivers a superior design for our suspension. The SumoSpring offers us many advantages including increased driver comfort, enhanced durability, and long life which allows BUVs to deliver hope in the developing world through rural transport.”
BUVs are designed to meet varied countries’ needs. One country may need to have a truck bed to haul food and water to communities that live tens of miles from the source. In another country, the greatest need is getting crafted goods and crops to market to create a community revenue stream.
In most cases the BUVs are a very simple steel frame, three wheels, a basic diesel engine, a single seat for the driver, and a way to carry people and products.
“More than anything else at SSI, we are passionate about people and making life’s journey better for everyone however we can,” SSI President Adam Weisner said. “This is engrained in the fabric of our company, and supporting an incredible organization like BUV is an honor. Will and the team are enriching the lives of those that don’t have easy access to vehicles like we do here in the US and we’re proud to be a small part of that.”
For more information on the work of the Institute for Affordable Transportation and the BUV, visit them online by clicking here.
