[Behr]

My e-Dispatch finally made it over from France and onto my driveway this week. I’ve oBly had a short drive and so far so good.

The one real let down is the tech.

Sadly there is no option to set the charge condition or deferral of the pre conditioning from the driver interface. It has to be done via the MyCitroen app. This is my first stumbling block. Whatever network the modem uses has poor coverage in my area and I’m struggling to connect to the van most of the time. Which is really quite daft. Unfortunately there’s no way to see what network connection the van uses or what it’s strength is. There also no option to hotspot it. So far I’m a little disappointed with the interface and the app. I mean seriously, you’d have thought Citroen would have had the app properly translated into English rather than the poor auto-translation they have used. It really is a bit haphazard.

Anyhoo. I’ve already waited a week for Citroen UK to comeback to me on this so thought I’d reach out here to see if anyone knew more about the network provider. I’m hoping I can put a femtocell in maybe?

 

[Eaz5]

Oh please do tell me everything and anything about the van. I've pretty much agreed a deal for a 75kWh XL, I'm just waiting to test drive the e-Expert (I can't get my hands on a Dispatch so thought I'd be cheeky and test the Peugeot) next week and finalise the sale of my env before I sign on the dotted line.

If and when you get a chance, I'd love to know any details on range you might be able to offer.

 

[Imp]

Oh please do tell me everything and anything about the van. I've pretty much agreed a deal for a 75kWh XL, I'm just waiting to test drive the e-Expert (I can't get my hands on a Dispatch so thought I'd be cheeky and test the Peugeot) next week and finalise the sale of my env before I sign on the dotted line.

If and when you get a chance, I'd love to know any details on range you might be able to offer.

We have had our e-dispatch for a month now but haven't been too far yet so can't say what range is, we, like yourself, have the 75kw XL as we needed the extra space.
The env was too small as we made it in to a camper with the 3 seats in the back. It worked all right but very small space for loo.
If and when you get it there are a couple of points to look out for, one is the vent in front of the offside wheel, it need to be closed off other wise you will fill the compartment full of muck.
Great vehicle though, so far.

 

[Eaz5]

We have had our e-dispatch for a month now but haven't been too far yet so can't say what range is, we, like yourself, have the 75kw XL as we needed the extra space.
The env was too small as we made it in to a camper with the 3 seats in the back. It worked all right but very small space for loo.
If and when you get it there are a couple of points to look out for, one is the vent in front of the offside wheel, it need to be closed off other wise you will fill the compartment full of muck.
Great vehicle though, so far.

Thanks, I literally placed my order this afternoon.

 

[Gavztheouch]

Anymore opinions of this van, I was going to test drive a couple of weeks ago but I couldn't find the time. I currently have a vw T6 diesel transporter. I love the vw but I have been lusting after an ev for over ten years and I think these new PSA vans tick most of the boxes at a price that once you take into consideration the Diesel savings is roughly the same as the old diesel vans.

 

[Eaz5]

Not much info beyond charging speeds but Electric Felix has a few videos of the e-Dispatch (or e-Jumpy in NL) on his youtube page:

https://www.youtube.com/user/FeWipS/videos

I did ask in the comments of one video for any info on range and he said he said 220wh/km (approx 2.8m per kwh) was easily attained in town and you're looking at 300wh/km (2.1m per kwh) on the motorway.

 

[Behr]

A bit of an update on this.

I haven't had the opportunity to use the van much as I have been waiting for an appointment for the body builder to fit all of the lining and racking. I did however have a good drive up to them to deliver the van yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts and findings.

I plugged in with the battery at 98% around 2 hours before leaving and used the (dreadful) MyCitroen app to start the 45 minute pre-programmed/21°C heating cycle. I noticed that the charger contactor didn't engage to start the charge. Clearly the van will not 'top-up' when near full or to help with pre-conditioning/climate.

The predicted range displayed on leaving was 181 miles. The temperature was 1°C and the climate set to a moderate 19°C with AC off. The first 10 miles were a mix of town and B roads, all quiet and done in the Normal drive mode with regen on. Efficiency on the display stated as 2.2miles/kWh for this part of the journey. The predicted range depleted in accordance with the miles traveled. All good.

This soon came undone however with the last 40 miles of motorway driving. Cruise set at 70mph. I got to my destination with a total journey distance of 52 miles with 55% battery remaining and a predicted range remaining of 64 miles. Efficiency for the motorway part of the journey was 1.7miles/kWh.

Bear in mind that my van is the 75kWh version and is the XLWB variant so it is heavy and is likely not as efficient as the smaller 50kWh SWB version. Even so, and in consideration of the temperature, I was still surprised by the result. I guess time will tell and we'll see what it is like to live with. I have yet to try it fully loaded (which it will be most of the time) . Thankfully I am realistic about the range. I reckon 100 miles fully loaded at this time of year. That's ok with me. The efficiency does bother me though. 2.2miles/kWh is quite poor but no doubt this will get better with warmer weather.

Other thoughts -

It is a well made van. I have fitted some Victron Energy stuff, reversing camera and some LED lighting in the rear over the last week or so and have been in all nooks and crannies, taking bits apart etc. It really is a good bit of kit. The drive is very smooth and quiet and the regen braking is nearly on par with my Model S. Having to turn it on every journey is a bit daft though. Why it can't be latched on/off as a bit of an oversight.

It is heavy! Even unloaded you can feel the weight.

The lack of charging control is disappointing. You have the choice of some bizarre button dance that you can perform with a button at the charging flap but this only defers the charge or starts it straight away. You can't set a time or change the charge current in the display. The app offers very limited functionality too. It does 'climate on' and charge on. That's about it. Connecting to the vehicle is slow and unreliable. I figure the SIM is likely on EE which is poor in my area anyway. Even in town it was sketchy. The app does allow you to see the position of the vehicle on a map but it simply doesn't work. Journey data is available but you have to download it via bluetooth. If this is the same app as the Citroen cars use then they have a long way to go to get anywhere close to the competition.

 

[Gavztheouch]

Shame about the efficiency but as you said it’s a large van and the weather is cold. I would be looking at the standard wheel base. What are your thoughts on which battery size to get. It does not seem like a lot of extra money for the bigger battery but maybe weight becomes an issue. I don’t normally have much in the back

 

[Behr]

In your situation I’d have to say that I’d probably roll the dice on the smaller battery for the smaller van. It’s a good bit cheaper and lighter. It boils down to initial cost saving and higher efficiency (less weight & drag) vs. increased range and space.

I guess it depends on the sort of work you’re doing and your geography. If you’re jobbing around locally and you have the odd D.C. charger on hand then maybe go for the smaller battery version.

You really need a couple of days with one. That would be the best solution.

 

[Eaz5]

I have fitted some Victron Energy stuff, reversing camera.....

Thanks for the update. I'm planning on fitting a reversing camera too - which system did you go with and were you able to connect it directly into the standard head unit?

Re the range, 1.7m/kwh doing 70mph in winter is quite encouraging. After 18 months of driving an e-nv200 I've got quite used to doing around 60mph so should be able to push that up to closer to closer to 2m/kwh giving a range of 140ish miles and a fair bit more in summer.

 

[Behr]

Thanks for the update. I'm planning on fitting a reversing camera too - which system did you go with and were you able to connect it directly into the standard head unit?

Re the range, 1.7m/kwh doing 70mph in winter is quite encouraging. After 18 months of driving an e-nv200 I've got quite used to doing around 60mph so should be able to push that up to closer to closer to 2m/kwh giving a range of 140ish miles and a fair bit more in summer.

Ahh now that’s interesting regarding your experience with the Nissan.

The reversing camera was from Empirical Glasgow: Reversing Cameras | Reverse Camera | Parking Sensors | Tracker | - it’s the brake light mounted version that I went for. He’s got a YouTube video showing it working. It overlays the moving gridlines and the parking sensor graphics into the normal display - just like the OEM version. Installation is a piece of cake. He sends a USB stick with instructions and photos of how to do it. There is no wiring. All plug and play with the existing bus. It took me 90 mins and required some basic trim removal tools, torx bits, 10mm spanner and a couple of zip ties. The tricky bit is getting the camera cable through the rubber gaiter between the rear door post and the door. I used a fish tape but a stiff piece of wire (10mm2+) would do along with some insulation tape.

The head unit is actually a remote panel btw. The radio ‘unit’ is in a tin can behind the display in a tray!

 

[Eaz5]

Cheers. That was the one I had my eye on too, glad it was easy to install.

 

[Thomas carter]

A bit of an update on this.

I haven't had the opportunity to use the van much as I have been waiting for an appointment for the body builder to fit all of the lining and racking. I did however have a good drive up to them to deliver the van yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts and findings.

I plugged in with the battery at 98% around 2 hours before leaving and used the (dreadful) MyCitroen app to start the 45 minute pre-programmed/21°C heating cycle. I noticed that the charger contactor didn't engage to start the charge. Clearly the van will not 'top-up' when near full or to help with pre-conditioning/climate.

The predicted range displayed on leaving was 181 miles. The temperature was 1°C and the climate set to a moderate 19°C with AC off. The first 10 miles were a mix of town and B roads, all quiet and done in the Normal drive mode with regen on. Efficiency on the display stated as 2.2miles/kWh for this part of the journey. The predicted range depleted in accordance with the miles traveled. All good.

This soon came undone however with the last 40 miles of motorway driving. Cruise set at 70mph. I got to my destination with a total journey distance of 52 miles with 55% battery remaining and a predicted range remaining of 64 miles. Efficiency for the motorway part of the journey was 1.7miles/kWh.

Bear in mind that my van is the 75kWh version and is the XLWB variant so it is heavy and is likely not as efficient as the smaller 50kWh SWB version. Even so, and in consideration of the temperature, I was still surprised by the result. I guess time will tell and we'll see what it is like to live with. I have yet to try it fully loaded (which it will be most of the time) . Thankfully I am realistic about the range. I reckon 100 miles fully loaded at this time of year. That's ok with me. The efficiency does bother me though. 2.2miles/kWh is quite poor but no doubt this will get better with warmer weather.

Thanks for the report, good to hear about how the van performs on the motorway and in the winter as that’s likely close to “worst case” with the cold - id already found this review of the SWB and in the summer which suggests the 75kwh driven then gets close to 200 miles which I would assume is the

It would make sense that driving fast on a motorway would hammer the range, it’s a big box after all - it does give me pause however as I was considering the Vivaro LWB e-life as a family run around which only comes with the 50kwh battery so as you found it would only be doing 100miles on a motorway driving conservatively - it’s a shame they didnt do a 75kwh or shorter wheel base version for the people carrier

 

[Imp]

Point to ponder on the edispatch xl 75kw.

Have you noticed the opening in front of the driver side wheel in the arch?

I have had to make a baffle to stop the muck going through in to the compartment which was designed for an inter cooler, if left open it could seriously fill with an awful lot of junk.

If you look through the grill in the front of the vehicle, you can see the air scoop. This really needs closing off as well.

Interested to hear what others have found.

 

[Imp]

Point to ponder on the edispatch xl 75kw.

Have you noticed the opening in front of the driver side wheel in the arch?

I have had to make a baffle to stop the muck going through in to the compartment which was designed for an inter cooler, if left open it could seriously fill with an awful lot of junk.

If you look through the grill in the front of the vehicle, you can see the air scoop. This really needs closing off as well.

Interested to hear what others have found.

Whoops! Seem to have repeated myself.

 

[Behr]

No worries. I need to check this out when the van is back with me. The last thing I need is mud or an errant badger stuck in the empty duct!

 

[Eaz5]

Electric Felix mentions this in one of his videos - around 1min 20seconds in:

You have to assume it wasn't done by accident but I can't understand why they've done it either.

 

[Thomas carter]

Random question - I take it inside it’s more or less the same fittings etc as the normal PSA vans? Reason I ask is I am tempted to get a van with the bench seat, but as we are expecting I would look to switch the bench to a single seat (so have two seats in the front) and have a double seat fitted in the back by an expert fitter

Changing the bench seat in the front is simple in the ICE version with kits available, assume it would all work and be as simple in the electric version too?

 

[Behr]

As far as I can tell, the electric version is identical in most respects. The seats in the front of mine are the same as our other regular Peugeot Experts. I have worked on these diesel versions - putting in lighting etc, and cannot see any material differences. Even the 12V fuse box under the bonnet is the same.

It even has a fuel filler flap! Fixed in place of course.

 

[Behr]

By way of an update on efficiency: I performed a near identical trip home to the one previously reported on Wednesday evening. The ambient temperature ranged from 1°C/-1°C and was preceded by a fast charge at the Instavolt rapid charger at Astle Retail Park in West Bromwich. For the motorway portion I tried a near contant 60mph on cruise. Only varying to 62/58mph whilst going past the odd slower lorry. I saw an average of 2.2kWh/Mile for this. The last 10 miles of cross country driving tipped up to 2.4kWh/Mile.

Not unhappy with this at all. It can only get better as the weather warms up. The one thing I am really happy with is just how very quiet this van is. Even wind noise is very low in consideration of how large it is.