Peugeot Launching 100% Electric Version Of Its Super-Popular ‘Partner’ Van
The french car company Peugot, a part of the second largest carmaker based in Europe — PSA Peugeot Citroën, recently announced that it will be releasing a 100% electric version of their popular “Partner” van. The EV van will be released in the UK on May 23rd of this year.
Citroen Berlingo / Partner Van. Image Credit: Matthias93 | some rights reserved
The van’s price will be £21,300 plus VAT. Which means that, when the UK’s “Plug in Van Grant” is factored in, the purchase price will be about £16,750.
According to a spokesman for Peugeot, the relatively cheap pricing means that the EV van will be cost-competitive with conventional vans, and superior when you factor in lower fuel costs and exemption from the “congestion charge fee” in London.
The van is essentially just a modification of the already existing Partner van – described by Peugeot as being the “best-selling small van in the UK.” It features the same “3.3 meter cubed load volume and a payload of up to 636kg.”
Now, however, there is also “a 22.5kWh lithium ion battery and 49kW electric motor that results in a top speed of 68mph and a range of up to 106 miles. According to Peugeot, 70% of van drivers make daily journeys of less than 60 miles, meaning that the vehicle is well suited for the majority of commercial applications.”
The running costs for the van have been estimated at about £1.25–£2.80 per 100 miles. And the battery takes about 7.5 hours to fully charge, or 35 minutes to charge to 80% by using a fast-charging unit.
A spokesman for the company stated to BusinessGreen “that a trial version of the van had already been successfully tested in France in partnership with a number of commercial customers and the firm was now demonstrating the vehicle with fleet clients in the UK. The van would be made available as part of an ‘all-inclusive’ package, including the vehicle, battery, a three-year/60,000 mile vehicle manufacturer warranty and a five-year/40,000 mile drive-train and battery manufacturer warranty.”
Many analysts in the auto industry are currently predicting that the electric van market is likely to experience significant growth in the next few years, as a result of rising fuel prices and many small businesses looking to cut down on their transportation costs. According to the analysts, the commercial market is as of now better suited to the rapid adoption of EVs than the consumer market is.
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About the Author
James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.
