Vehicles
Vehicles are all-terrain machines to explore and transport people, goods or commodities on planets. They are swift, durable and ready for combat.
SRV
Surface Recon Vehicle (SRV) is a vehicle class that is used by commanders to traverse a planetary surface. It's faster than walking On Foot, yet slower and more nimble than a ship. The SRV features storage space for commodities, and enables close examination of points of interest in relative safety. SRV fuel and ammunition can be synthesized as needed if the pilot has sufficient materials.
SRVs can be carried by ships with a Planetary Vehicle Hangar (PVH). SRVs are purchased together with a PVH for storage and maintenance. The PVH module can be transferred between ships, but SRVs cannot be transferred between hangars.
Planetary gravity affects the handling of SRVs. High gravity causes the SRV to hug the terrain with great traction, but struggles to climb hills or boost into the air. Low gravity makes the SRV feel very light and it floats easily. Traction is quickly lost you can use the thrusters to launch high into the air. You should avoid damaging collisions or unintentional extreme jumps.
Any damage sustained by an SRV is automatically repaired when it boards the Vehicle Bay. If an SRV is destroyed, the pilot will redeploy aboard their ship and a new vehicle must be bought. Whether the ship is parked on the surface or automatically returned to orbit doesn't matter.
The Wave Scanner is capable of locking onto small threats such as skimmers, on foot persons and surface objects such as canisters. The SRV turret is effective versus on foot enemies from afar.
Models
There are three vehicle models manufactured by Vodel.
| Image | Name | Type | Class | Seats | Multicrew | Size | Cargo Capacity | Top speed | Manufacturer | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Rhino Sideview.jpg | Rhino | Miner | SRV | 3 | Yes | Large | 72 t | 45 m/s | Vodel | 60,387 CR |
| File:SRV-Scarab.png | Scarab | Exploration | SRV | 1 | No | Small | 4 t | 38 m/s | Vodel | 5,270 CR |
| File:ED-SRV-Scorpion.png | Scorpion | Combat | SRV | 2 | Yes | Small | 30 t | 32 m/s | Vodel | 24,863 CR |
Skimmers
Skimmers are small, remotely-piloted surface vehicles that hover at low altitudes over a planet's surface. They usually guard Settlements and Shipwrecks. Skimmers cannot be used by players.
| Image | Name | Type | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Stinger2 closeup.png | Stinger-2 | Security skimmer | Achilles Corporation |
| File:S4-Sentry-Skimmer-Close-Up.png | S4 Sentry | Security skimmer | Core Dynamics |
| File:S5LM-Guardian-Skimmer.png | S5LM Guardian | Defense skimmer | Core Dynamics |
| File:S9-Goliath-Skimmer.jpg | S9 Goliath | Heavy skimmer | Core Dynamics |
Vehicle concepts
Frontier made concept art of vehicles that are not available in ED.[1] These specialized vehicle concepts are much larger than the Scarab.[1]
Exopod
An Exopod is a single-pilot space utility vehicle designed for short excursions in local areas of space, such as carrying components around Capital Ship Docks.[2] Exopods are currently unavailable for purchase.
Notes
- Originally there were plans for additional classes of SRVs to be released during ED: Horizons, but they did not materialise before the next expansion ED: Odyssey. In 2016 during an AMA, David Braben was asked "is there an ETA for planetary mining? and will we get a special SRV for that purpose" Braben said "No ETA yet, but it is planned."[3]
- Files datamined from the ED: Odyssey alpha hinted at two additional SRV models, the Scorpion and the Rhino. The Scorpion was officially released with ED: Odyssey Update 9.[4]
