VW delivers first e-Crafters in Hannover

A handful of major fleets from Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK have taken delivery of their very first Volkswagen e-Crafter at VW Commercial Vehicles' HQ in Hannover, Germany. The all-electric vans will be tested in real-world conditions before the final version goes into production in September 2018. Beneeth the boxy body of the Crafter lies the powertrain of the e-Golf, i.e. a 100 kW electric motor fed by a 35.8-kWh lithium ion battery. The large van can travel up to 160 km on a single charge and reach a top speed of 90 kmh. As the battery cells are fully integrated in the Crafter's underbody, none of the 10.7 cubic metres of cargo volume had to be sacrificed. The payload is between 1 and 1.75 tonne, depending on the version.

"Nothing beats practical experience: major customers from Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden are testing the new e-Crafter vans in practical use. Package delivery services, energy suppliers, trades businesses and individual retailers whose vehicles cover between 70 and 100 kilometres per day. Sometimes with each day involving hundreds of starts and stops. These parameters apply to around 85 per cent of the trips made in an urban setting according to analyses performed by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles on more than 210,000 driving profiles with over 1,500 customers", the press release reads.