PSA electrifies its large vans, builds them in Turkey
Last mile delivery, low-emission zones, emission targets: OEMs have reasons enough to electrify their LCV range. After Renault, VW, Daimler and Ford, PSA is the fifth van maker to announce it will be offering an all-electric model of its large vans, the Citroën Jumper/Relay and Peugeot Boxer.
Interestingly, PSA puts its trust in Turkish LCV specialist BD Ottomotiv in Istanbul for the ‘e-conversion’ of the vans. They are initially built at PSA’s Sevel plant in Italy and then shipped to Turkey, where they receive their battery pack and electric motor.
2 ranges, 4 lengths
Customers can choose between two range levels: 225 and 270km (NEDC), i.e. roughly 150 and 175km in realistic conditions. The short-range models are available as L1 and L2, the long-range versions come as L3 or L4 variants.
They will hit the market by the end of the year and join the Renault Crafter Z.E., VW e-Crafter and VW e-Sprinter in an ever more populated urban delivery environment. Another player that tries to position itself in Europe is Chinese OEM SAIC, with the Maxus EV80.
Deutsche Post DHL has developed its own electric van through subsidiary StreetScooter, which borrowed a Transit from Ford as a development basis. Ford itself announced a few weeks ago it would also be offering an all-electric version of its market-leading Transit model.
Small but promising market
The European market for electric vans remains marginal. Last year, about 20,000 zero-emission LCVs were sold on the Old Continent, where Renault is the market leader. As EU emissions regulations tighten and cities are looking to ban diesels from their centres to fight local air pollution, consultancies believe e-van sales will grow considerably over the next five years.
PSA will not only electrify its large vans, but also the smaller Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner as well as the midsized Citroën Jumpy/Dispatch and Peugeot Expert. Because Opel’s and Toyota’s LCV models are rebadged PSA products, they will surely ride the same e-wave.
