Proace leads electric charge for Toyota

Toyota Professional joins EV van market, with the launch of its Proace Electric.

Van operators looking for a midweight electric model just got another option, as Toyota Professional joined the EV van club. Through its deal with Stellantis, that has already seen the launch of the diesel Proace and Proace City, Toyota has launched the Proace Electric to the UK market.

Though available in a range of body sizes and trim levels across Europe, Toyota GB has decided to launch the van in a single size and specifi cation, at least initially. Unsurprisingly, that is the size and trim that it would have expected to be the big-seller, which is a mid-length van in the mid-grade Icon trim.

There are still decisions to be made, with two battery packs on offer. The 75kWh battery offers up to 205 miles of driving range, with a payload of 1,000kg. Opt for the smaller 50kWh battery and the range drops to 142 miles, but the payload goes up to 1.2-tonnes. In either case the vans can tow a 1-tonne trailer. The Medium van offers the same load volume as the diesel models, at 5.3m3, rising to 5.8m3 if you use the Smart Cargo load-through bulkhead.

Toyota’s Icon trim includes practical black bumpers and steel wheels, while in the cab the driver gets a DAB radio with Bluetooth and a ProTouch 7” display screen with smartphone connectivity. There is also WiFi connectivity and a USB port for charging, plus manual air conditioning, auto wipers and

Proace leads electric charge for Toyota

lights. You also get powered and heated door mirrors, cornering lights and daytime running lights, along with rear parking sensors and auto high beam. Another choice that customers will need to make concerns the on-board charger. A 7kW unit is standard, while a faster 11kW on-board charger is an option. The vans will come with both home charging and wallbox cables as standard and Toyota Professional dealers should be able to help with charger installation, with Toyota offering

Toyota grows its market share

Toyota Professional saw its share of the market grow in every segment in which it competes last year, though actual sales numbers were down along with the overall market. The latest Hilux pickup was certainly well received, increasing its share of the market by 4.3%. The diesel Proace also saw a small increase in share of 0.2%.

The company launched Proace City into the market in 2020 and this will be joined later this year by the EV Proace City Electric. That leaves just a large van missing from the company portfolio, a gap that will surely be fi lled over the coming years.

Toyota is hoping to sell up to 6,000 Proace vans a year by 2025, including diesel and electric models. That said, how that mix is split will be down to customer choice. However, simply having electric vans in the offer will allow dealers to tender for a broader spread of fl eet deals, particularly with local authority and utility buyers keen to make the move to electric vehicles. Dealers should be able to help with charger installation with Toyota branded wallboxes

branded wallboxes. The battery gets an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty.

Equipped with the 11kW on-board charger, the smaller 50kWh battery takes 4 hours 45 mins to charge, while the larger 75kWh battery will require 7 hours to fully top-up. Plug into a rapid DC charging station, with speeds up to 100kW and it should be possible to achieve an 80% charge on the smaller battery in just 32 mins, or on the larger battery in 48 mins.

Prices for the Proace Electric start at £34,630 for the 50kWh van with a 7kW on-board charger, rising to £39,463 for the 75kWh model with the faster 11kW charger. All of the vans are eligible for the £6,000 Plugin-Van Grant.