Northside Maxus

Maxus electric offer shaking-up the sector

Continued from page 34

On the motorway at speed, the van did feel a little front heavy, especially when steering from lane to lane and when you’re in traffic, and there’s some battery noise when you slow down that takes a bit of getting used to.

The van panels are not the stiffest on sale and the rear doors don’t close with as much of a thud as we’d like. These, though, are our only criticisms. Overall, the ride is good, it generally handles well and the cabin is quiet. The on-board tech is easy to use and works well, and it’s very well equipped.

If you’re still not sure about electric vans for your business because of range, it’s worth noting that the eDeliver 3 fitted with the larger battery offers the best range of any similar sized electric van.

It’s also competitively priced, with an entry level cost of £36,000 including vat, before the OLEV grant is taken into account.

With two new electric vans – don’t forget, if payload really is your thing, there’s a larger eDeliver 9 – the future looks bright for Maxus, as the Chinese-owned company aims high in the European van market.

With a decent geographical spread of UK dealerships, there’s also a Maxus van centre located near you.

If you haven’t tried an electric van yet, this one proves there’s no excuse not to pop in and try one.

CC&V VERDICT

Good things come in small packages and the electric range-busting eDeliver 3 shows why. MAXUS has a real contender on its hands that will keep its rivals honest

Maxus adds an exciting electric option to Northside

The pandemic has seen a lot of changes in how we do business, and this is true for Northside Truck & Van. Northside, best known as a Mercedes-Benz truck and van dealer group, brought the Maxus product range into its arsenal at the beginning of 2021.

The decision came after the dealership sampled the electric Maxus eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9 models, and seeing the demand from their customers for electric vehicles grow, Northside decided to branch out and increase its commercial vehicle offering, with Maxus now sitting alongside Mercedes-Benz at Sandtoft.

Suzanne Gilbert, Maxus General Manager for Northside, has been impressed by what Maxus has to offer. She said: “You really need to visit us to test-drive the Maxus range – you won’t be disappointed. The battery range on the electric vehicles is market leading, the quality and build are second to none and they are also great value for money.

“Furthermore, Northside has a great relationship with Maxus and we want to offer our customers as many commercial vehicle options for their business as we can. Becoming part of Maxus has allowed us to cater to a wider variety of business requirement, especially in the electric van sector.”

Success with the electric Maxus range has already begun, with parcel delivery giant DPD taking delivery of a fleet of Electric Maxus vans through Northside. The Maxus order is part of DPD’s strategy to become the most responsible and sustainable city centre delivery company and a leader in the move to electric vehicles in the UK.

The electric Maxus vans fit perfectly into that ethos, with Northside committed to working with DPD in helping to reduce CO2 and carbon emissions.

DPD’s head of corporate social responsibility, Olly Craughan, said his company was “absolutely delighted with MAXUS. The 3.5t van is the workhorse of any delivery and collection fleet, so to get our hands on an EV with this kind of capacity and range is a real game changer for us.

“We’ve got EVs in every DPD depot already, but they are largely focused on quite compact routes, usually in city centres, where range isn’t an issue. But the Maxus opens up the possibility of clean, green deliveries on a much larger scale. We know from our shippers that being able to offer their customers green deliveries is a huge plus-point, while the feedback on the doorstep is similarly positive.

“Our aim is to deliver to 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK entirely with zero and low-emission delivery means by 2025, and this order begins to make that a reality.”

Another benefit of Maxus in the current climate is that they are not as affected by parts supply from elements such as the semiconductor shortages, which means the supply chain for new Maxus vehicles is strong heading into 2022.

John Corbett, Maxus Northside sales manager states: “From a standing start, 2021 has developed into a very promising year. Taking on the role as Maxus sales manager was a very exciting move for me and I know, due to the great products we offer within the Maxus family of electric vehicles, that the future looks bright.

“Customers have taken the Maxus brand into their fleets without batting an eyelid and all reports back are very encouraging. Those customers who have taken a Maxus van from ourselves have been delighted with the product and we expect others to follow suit.”

Maxus is described as the market leader in electric commercial vehicles and its eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 9 are paving the way for more electric vans to enter the UK marketplace.

Northside Maxus is currently operating from Sandtoft, with plans to expand the operation into Doncaster, Leeds and Bradford.

This expansion will open up new job opportunities in these areas, as the demand for electric vans grows.