We won’t tire of saying that electric cars are unrivaled in urban traffic. Comfort, silence and also low consumption. In addition, you do not travel too many kilometers and charging points are easier to find. And which vehicles drive the most in the city? Public transport and commercial vehicles. Why aren’t there more electric vans on the streets?
The problem undoubtedly comes from the acquisition price. It is true that there are other ideal forms for companies, such as renting, but these are now also higher than a conventional vehicle. But knowing that a large proportion of light vans in our country travel an average of 130 km per day, it should not be surprising that once the current ones are written off, we see a boom in these vehicles.
With an investment in basic charging points and a rate to charge the vehicles in off-peak hours (cheaper), we are sure that fleet managers will gradually start betting on these electric vans. And it’s that they usually have pretty uniform route guidelines, which avoids the fear of autonomy. And they have no entry or parking restrictions in city centers.
One option is to go for used electric vans. For now, the offer in the market is quite limited, but there will undoubtedly be more models and options of all sizes, as we are already seeing in the new car market.
The Best used Electric Vans
Few used electric vans have been withdrawn from the market in the last five years. They are all based on architectures used in equivalent combustion models, but maintain their payload and
Citroen e-Berlingo Multispace (2017-2020)
Inside promises the maximum habitability despite mounting two lithium-ion batteries. They are housed in the lower part of the car, which also ensures a low center of gravity of this body. In this way it keeps the space for five people intact, with a removable and modular rear seat, to be able to increase the 675 liters of cargo space to 3,000 liters with the second row seats removed.
The equipment The Citroën e-Berlingo Multispace was up to the task thanks to elements such as air conditioning, CD-MP3 audio system with Bluetooth hands-free, 7-inch color touchscreen that controls the on-board computer, music and radio, telephone (compatible with Mirrorlink or Apple CarPlay) and navigation. In this sense, some functions of the e-Berlingo Multispace can be controlled from the smartphone, such as thermal preconditioning to preheat or cool the passenger compartment.
The mechanics driving this commercial is a synchronous type electric motor with permanent magnets of 67 hp and 200 Nm torque. The capacity of the batteries is: 22.5 kWh and that helps this model to travel up to 170 kilometers of autonomy. To charge it in a conventional outlet it takes more than 8 and a half hours, but with fast charging the time is reduced to 30 minutes to have 80% of the charge.
Peugeot Partner Electric (2015-2020)
The Peugeot Partner Electric was the first electric van to be marketed by the brand in Spain since 2015. It was manufactured exclusively in Vigo along with the combustion engine variant and hardly differs in aesthetics.
In the lower part were two groups of batteries (located on the sides of the rear axle) and the electric motor, which comes from Mitsubishi, a Japanese manufacturer with whom PSA had an agreement. It is a compact synchronous type electric drive with a power of 49 kW (67 hp) and a constant torque of 200 Nm.
It is powered by a dual lithium-ion battery with a 22.5 kW/h capacity, with which it approves 170 km of autonomy, which, according to the brand, covers the needs of 70% of potential users. The batteries weigh 320 kilos. The charging time in a conventional household socket varies between 8 and 15 hours, but it is possible to reach 80% of the charge in just half an hour if we use an industrial socket. In addition, the vehicle has energy recovery during deceleration and braking and in an economical way that maintains the ventilation of the passenger compartment without unduly affecting the remaining autonomy.
The main advantage is that the capacity and modularity of the combustion engine version is preserved. The Peugeot Partner Electric is offered with bodywork Van in two lengths -4.38 and 4.63 meters, two rear doors and a sliding side door (the Partner Tepe Electric was presented in 2017, a variable with a more playful approach).
Thanks to the Multi-flex seat in the front, three passengers can be transported and when the right-hand part is folded down, objects up to 3.25 meters long (minimum 1.80 meters) can be transported. It is approved to carry the same load as combustion engine vans, up to 695 kg or 4.1 cubic meters in the long version.
Renault ZOE Company (2016-2020)
The Renault ZOE Société was an adaptation of the 100% electric Renault ZOE 2013, intended for commercial and professional use. Unlike this one, it had only two seats to allocate the space from the rear seat to the trunk. It offered 817 liters of luggage space and the rear door windows are tinted to camouflage the merchandise.
Because it is a vehicle approved for: type N1, the State offered a series of subsidies for the purchase of 100% electric commercial vehicles.
The trim level it was the finish To live, the most basic version including central locking, automatic climate control, electric mirrors, opening and starting card and navigator. It also had numerous safety systems such as front airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, ABS speed limiter controller and dynamic traction control.
The mechanical power supply consisted of a single 88 hp electric motor. Its idling performance is quite significant, it accelerates from 0 to 50 km / h in 4 seconds and from 0 to 80 km / h in less than 9 seconds. The maximum speed is 135 km/h, not much but enough for a purely city car. In addition, its autonomy has been increased, it now has a number of considerable 240 km, enough to walk the streets of the city. To charge his battery, he has a charger up to 22 KW
Volkswagen e-Caddy Combi (2020-2021)
The Volkswagen e-Caddy Combi was the result of the German brand’s collaboration with the ABT engineer, which has a division (ABT e-Line) with extensive experience in electrification as it participates in Formula E. They were in charge of the electronics, the electric motor and the battery pack of this model.
It moves thanks to a 110 hp (83 kW) electric motor and 200 Nm of torque, which sends its power to the front wheels via a DSG automatic transmission. It is powered by the energy stored in the batteries of 37.4 kWh capacity, enough to go 120 km without refueling, a somewhat meager figure. The maximum charging power in alternating current is 7.2 kW, while in direct current it reaches 50 kW.
It can accommodate five passengers and their luggage, although the routes seem limited to the urban environment. It had a Combi version, with a professional approach, and another called Trendline, more equipped. As standard, it already offers elements such as the Hill Start Assistant, the Connectivity package for the Composition Color radio, mirrors with electrical and thermal adjustment, fog lamps, climate control, front and side airbags …
Volkswagen e-Caddy box (2020-2021)
As the production ID Buzz Cargo arrives, Volkswagen turned to ABT to replace the diesel engines in the Caddy and install an electric one. The e-Caddy is based on the Long or Maxi body, with a length of 4.88 meters.
Under the hood is a 110 hp electric motor and 200 Nm torque. It was thought that there were more urban movements, hence the maximum speed was limited to 120 km/h. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery with: 37.3 kWh capacity, giving it a range of up to 120 km.
According to the author, it can be charged to 80% in 49 minutes with a fast charger type CCS with a capacity of 40 kW. If the AC type with 7.2 kW power is used, the time is extended to 5 hours and 10 minutes.
The payload of the e-Caddy ABT reaches 651 kilograms and 4.2 cubic meters.
Volkswagen e-Load Up! (2016-2021)
The Volkswagen e-load Up! was a light commercial vehicle that used the body of the Up! 2016 and the electric motorization of the e-Up! 2013, a mechanic from 82 hp and 210 Nm which is powered by the energy coming from its battery system with 18.7 kWh capacity, which on paper gives you the ability to 160 km between charges.
The e-load Up! It had more than enough features to perform in city traffic. It reaches a top speed of 130 km/h and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds. As far as its loading options are concerned, in its length of 3.54 meters it can carry 1,400 liters and a maximum weight of 305 kilograms. Able to handle small deals.
It is a more expensive variant than other options in the load Up! range (with the 60 hp three-cylinder petrol engine, although it could be purchased in Germany with a CNG variant). To his advantage, he has access to every corner of the city, regardless of pollution restrictions. It is also a “green” marketing tool for the company that uses it.
The standard equipment It was quite complete, there are hardly any differences with the version with combustion engine. It is equipped with stability control, ABS, EBD, front and side airbags, Hill Start Assistant, air conditioning, central locking with remote control, height-adjustable steering wheel, sound system with MP3 CD player and two speakers, navigation system, seat heating and LED daytime running lights. What it doesn’t offer at that price is the ability to charge quickly using the CCS standard.
Volkswagen e-Transporter (2020-2021)
In mid-2020, the German preparer ABT Sportsline and the Volkswagen commercial vehicles division presented the Volkswagen e-Transporter 6.1, an electric van based on the Volkswagen Transporter 2020, in particular the longer version.
The person responsible for the move was a 83 kW (113 hp) electric motor, with a maximum torque of 200 Nm. Its strength is not the performance, since the maximum speed is limited to 90 or 120 km / h, the customer chooses.
Provides the bow thruster with a lithium-ion battery with: 32.5 kWh useful capacity, which is not much (weighs 333 kg). The approved autonomy between charges is only 138 km, which limits it to urban environments.
The company ensures that a full charge of the battery in a 7.2 kW wallbox takes 5.5 hours, while if we use a fast charging station and a CSS outlet, at 50 kW, the time it takes to reach 80% load to reach is about 45 minutes.
The payload ranges from 977 to 1,096 kilograms, with a maximum volume of 6.7 cubic meters.
