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All electric van? Transit size?

4K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  Chris1990 
#1 ·
We Hi people

We have just bought a leaf and we love it to bits.

Now my own preference of vehicle would be a van, about the size of a transit, any recommendations? Full EV not hybrid

Kind regards
VinceG
 
#2 ·
Nissan make an electric van, I don't think the range is very good. I think that's the only commerical EV available. Leeds council have a fleet of them.

The Tesla model X will do the job but they're expensive.

Carrying anything that weighs more than a few humans seriously eats into the range. As does a vehicle that isn't very aerodynamic.

We are some way off having a practical commerical EV.
 
#3 ·
Pretty much the only option is the Nissan. eNV200. A company called Voltia make the eNV200 Maxi if you need a little bigger.

Renault make a Kangoo EV but its smaller than what you want, assuming you aren't talking about a Transit connect sized van.

The SAIC LDV was supposed to have an electric van in the UK by now. That was full sized and actually looked fairly promising but I heard nothing else about them and haven't seen any on the road.

On the used market, Peugeot used to make a Boxer EV. But they apparently weren't very good and are very rare. Most posts about them on these forums will be people who bought one and can't even get it to drive.

The other option is to just buy a Transit and have it converted. I see a lot of EV conversion vans both on the road and online. I have no idea how reliable they are, what the expense would be, and the ones I have seen don't support rapid charging either which I could imagine would be a problem for many van drivers at times.

If it was me, I think I'd just be going with the eNV200, or the Ford Transit PHEV if all electric wouldn't give you the range or convenience you need.
 
#27 ·
Renault make a Kangoo EV but its smaller than what you want
Only 8kg difference in their load capacity (in eNVs favour). Both can take 2 Euro pallets (maxi Kangoo vs eNV). Maybe you were only comparing the regular wheelbase Kangoo?
 
#4 ·
There are plenty of transit sized, and bigger, LCVs available and soon to be available, however none are affordable and all but one (the LDV) only do 60 -80 miles range.

Iveco Daily £94,000 +VAT
Renault E-Master £58,000 + Vat (no rapid charging)
LDV (SAIC) EV80 £63,000 +VAT (110 miles range)
Mercedes E-Sprinter £ TBA
Mercedes E-Vito £TBA
Volkwagen E-Crafter (same as Sprinter, basically the van with the eGolf running gear!) £TBA

The only one worth considering is the LDV EV80. Plenty have been sold and owners reviews are on the web. Milk & More have a fleet of over 100, they are also used by Tesco and Waitrose in some areas. Coming soon is the LDV EV30, while not quiet transit sized will be approx £25,000 and have a range of 180 -200 miles (I've got my name down for one).

There is so much money in diesel van sales that the legacy manufacturers don't want to sell them and they don't want you to buy them, hence the ridiculous prices and rubbish ranges. A decent mid sized electric van would kill diesel sales very quicky. If you want anymore info feel free to DM me or just Google any of the above models.
 
#6 ·
The only one worth considering is the LDV EV80. Plenty have been sold and owners reviews are on the web. Milk & More have a fleet of over 100, they are also used by Tesco and Waitrose in some areas. Coming soon is the LDV EV30, while not quiet transit sized will be approx £25,000 and have a range of 180 -200 miles (I've got my name down for one).
Thanks for that, I did a search on YouTube for the EV30 and just got an unveiling video from a motor show.

When do you expect to take delivery?

Regards
VinceG
 
#5 ·
On the scale that might become affordable, other than the very diminutive eNV, Vauxhall are due to launch a BEV Vivaro (presumably also then as an Expert too).

As far as the press reports go, this is scheduled for production at Luton but no commencement date yet. Not sure whether buying British is a "thing" for you (or otherwise!) but it can't hurt the UK economy to support that sort of product.
 
#12 ·
The Kangoos also come in a Combo long wheelbase and crewcab version, quite a decent cargo space and the crewcab can also be configured as convertible between cargo and seating.

One thing missing from the specs is any mention of from of rapid charging (ie faster than 7kW) ????
 
#17 ·
Seems like it’s not powerful enough. It can negate the temp rise from charging plus a bit but if you drive fast the battery is already hot, it cools a few degrees during charging but there is too much heat to get rid of so the temp doesn’t go down much, driving hard again it gets hotter and on the next rapid only goes down a couple of degrees again so it’s getting hotter for each charge.

A guy on another thread reported that 2nd rapid is a bit slower, 3rd very slow. This was on a 40kwh van. He is hoping for a software update to improve things like the Leaf.

Well done Nissan (again).

Cheers all
 
#22 ·
I thought it looked fab, so I started trying to find some more info.

Complete carbon fibre body? Sounds expensive and not especially practical for a van! I've been trying to work out if there's a way to replace my Zoe with something electric that can carry 3 people and 3 bikes a reasonable distance. Currently, it seems that you have a choice between a car with range, or a van without (that costs quite a lot more). It feels like the best solution is going to be to buy a petrol vehicle to supplement the Zoe for distances and bikes. :(
 
#26 ·
Vivaro van is due out hopefully around March time. I’m holding off for it but I’m in two minds wether to just go for the new diesel version. I’ve currently an e-nv200 and average about 60 miles. I drive fully loaded weight wise so this would be due to the poorer mileage. If I do opt for the vivaro electric I will be carrying it close to fully loaded also so would probably still see poor mileage. The off putting thing is they are going to cost a clean fortune and honestly don’t think the savings in fuel will cut it
 
#28 ·
partner/berlingo is basically an iMiev in a van body, if you can find one, they have Chademo.

LDV look like the kiddies to follow - I'd pay good money for a EV30 with the 53kW pack.
 
#29 ·
You also have the transit custom PHEV, which on paper appears to basically be a series hybrid, which is no bad thing at all... I drive an ampera and the series hybrid drivetrain is an excellent option.
 
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