Electric Light Commercials - 2022 Market overview Words: Steve Banner
Electric vans
will be appearing on Britain’s streets in increasing numbers over the next few years as pressure to cut emissions intensifies. As a consequence every light commercial manufacturer is adding them to its portfolio as ranges between recharges lengthen and charging times shorten. Among those businesses leading the charge is global automotive giant Stellantis. It embraces Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall, and has a well-established joint venture with Toyota. As a consequence Toyota’s Proace City Electric is virtually identical to Citroen’s e-Berlingo, Peugeot’s e-Partner, and Vauxhall’s Combo-e. Each model comes with an electric motor delivering up to 100kW powered by a 50kWh lithium-ion battery which sits under the cargo bed. Range between recharges is around 170 miles. Load cube is up to 4.4cu m, and gross payload capacity up to 800kg. Charging times are approximately 7.1 hours if you plug the van into a wallbox, falling to around 4.5 hours if you have access to a three-phase supply. Going up the size chart, Toyota’s deal with Stellantis means the Japanese company also markets the Proace Electric. With a load cube of up to 5.8cu m and a gross payload capability of up to 1.2 tonnes. it is a rebadged version of Citroen’s e-Dispatch, Peugeot’s e-Expert and Vauxhall’s Vivaro-e. Stellantis also embraces Fiat Professional and an
12 destination net zero | summer 22
