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Electric light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales in Australia have grown more than 5300 per cent since 2016, when four – yes four – Renault Kangoo Z.E. sales made up the entire annual volume for battery-powered vans.
While the electric commercial segment may eventually flourish with the introduction of electric dual cabs – given there’s only one on sale right now, the $92,990 LDV eT60 – there are already more than half a dozen brands offering battery-electric vans in Australia.
There are also already electric van offerings in multiple sizes – from the small Renault Kangoo E-Tech and Peugeot e-Partner to the one-tonne LDV eDeliver7 and forthcoming Volkswagen ID.Buzz, before the larger Ford E-Transit and about-to-arrive Mercedes-Benz eSprinter.
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Already in 2024, sales of electric LCVs were up 225 percent on last year’s record result, with 39 sold in the first two months compared to 12 by the end of February 2023.
The 212 sold in 2023 pale into comparison alongside the 87,005 electric passenger vehicles and SUVs sold, but it’s clearly early days for electric workhorses.
“It's a financial equation – a pure economic decision,” says Steven Bragg, partner and motor industry service lead at Pitcher Partners in Sydney. “When you think of a dealer to private transaction, it's emotional … but [for electric vans] it’s a business transaction … it's either, ‘Hey, I've got this contract’, or ‘I'm going to do this job’ – this vehicle has a mission it has to perform.”
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This makes the higher purchase price – combined with worse resale value than internal combustion equivalents – an even greater barrier to entry in the light-commercial space.
Yet there’s enormous growth on the way judging by Europe – where sales of electric vans surpassed petrol-powered versions in 2023, second only to diesel.
While Australia’s proposed emissions laws may also give the segment a boost, tightening regulations in the UK – and the European Union’s planned 2035 outlaw of new vehicles using internal combustion – mean more choice and better performing electric vans are already hitting showrooms in Australia.
JUMP AHEAD
Small vans
The smallest segment – accounting for only about 2000 sales across all makes, models and powertrains in 2023 – has two key sparring rivals to choose from.
Designed for the ‘last mile’, on paper they’re a prime case for electric vans and feature significant car-like tech – such as smartphone connectivity and driver assist systems (though if you’re not into French brands, you’re stuck).
The second-generation Renault Kangoo E-Tech is the successor to the first electric van sold in Australia – the Kangoo Z.E. – and is offered in a single trim level with short-wheelbase ($61,990) and long-wheelbase ($63,990) body styles.
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Space ranges from 3.3-cubic metres to 4.2 cubic metres, with 523kg and 668kg payloads.
The Kangoo E-Tech is powered by a 90kW/245Nm electric motor with a 45kWh battery and has an official 286km Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) range.
An extra-cost direct current (DC) fast charger can supply 80 percent of that range in 27 minutes, with ‘last milers’ more likely to have access to public rapid chargers given their more common metropolitan usage.
The Kangoo is marginally more expensive than its closest electric rival, the Peugeot e-Partner, which offers a single long-wheelbase version with 3.9-cubic metres of load space.
On sale since 2018, the current e-Partner brings a 750kg payload courtesy of more powerful 100kW motor, with a 258km WLTP range and a similar 30-minute charge time on a DC charger for 80 percent top-up.
Midsize one-tonners
There are no prizes for guessing the cheapest way into an electric van is currently offered by a Chinese car maker: LDV.
The LDV eDeliver7 was launched in 2024 and at $59,990 plus-on road costs is the most affordable battery-powered van – despite not being the smallest – replacing the Peugeot e-Partner as cost-conscious king.
Importantly, the eDeliver7 was developed as an electric van first, with a diesel version set to be added later in 2024.
Across four variants the front-wheel-drive eDeliver7 offers short- and long-wheelbases with load space between 5.9 expanding to 8.7 cubic metres with the high-roof option ticked.
A larger 88kWh battery replaces the entry level 77kWH pack, increasing claimed range from 310-362km across the line-up, with prices stretching to $66,990 plus-on roads for ABN holders.
The LDV reflects the rapid evolution of electric vehicles – it has more power, greater range and is cheaper than the Mercedes eVito which went on sale in 2022, with an all-new eVito on a fresh platform expected in 2026.
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The eVito will survive until then on with its 2024 update, priced from $91,000 before on-road costs, offered only with the medium wheelbase.
It offers an 85kW/360Nm electric motor with 260km range (using the older NEDC test procedure) and 60kWh battery and a 35-minute 80-percent fast charge.
As well as the LDV, the eVito will face an armada of new rivals including the forthcoming Ford Transit E-Custom and Volkswagen Buzz I.D. Cargo – the Ford and Volkswagen sharing the same MEB platform tech in a collaboration between the two car makers.
Both due in Australia in late 2024, Ford’s rear-wheel drive E-Transit Custom is expected to offer a 160kW/450Nm electric motor and a 74kWh battery pack.
That brings a 380km WLTP range, with 15-80 per cent of that on hand after a 41-minute fast-charge using a 124kW DC charger.
Like the larger E-Transit, expect its packaging to offer the same space as its diesel counterpart.
With details still yet to be confirmed, pricing will be crucial to the Ford’s success – and the Volkswagen’s – with the US car maker cutting electric vehicle production in 2023 and reducing prices of the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV before it hit showrooms here last December.
Australian specifications of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo – the commercial version of its funky retro-styled van – are yet to be confirmed.
Essentially the electric version of its Transporter, UK versions offer a single body style with 3.9 cubic metres of load space, with a 150kW/310Nm electric motor and 77kWH battery pack for a 408km WLTP range.
Small electric van owners looking to upsize may be pleased to see the French battle carrying on in the mid-size van sector, too.
The Peugeot e-Expert has been confirmed for arrival in Australia in 2024, and while local spec is yet to be announced, but again, looking at overseas versions, there’s a 100kW/260Nm motor and a choice of 50kWh and 75kWh battery packs.
Maximum claimed range for the 50kWh spec is 238km, while the 75kWh version stretches to 340km – with an estimated $90,000 list price when it lands in Australia.
Watching closely will be Renault, which says it plans to being the electric Trafic into the segment by the end of 2024 – although it is yet to lock this in.
This means the majority of brands competing in Australia’s largest van segment – with 20,000 units sold in 2023 across nine manufacturers – will offer electric options by the by the end of this year.
Large electric vans
The biggest electric vans on sale come from Ford and LDV, with Renault and Mercedes-Benz entering the fight in 2024.
Already in showrooms, Ford's E-Transit has the same 12.4-cubic-metre load area as its diesel-powered version, with a 307km WLTP range – while its payloads are close to the oiler, too.
“Electrification is a focus, but it can’t come at the cost of reduced fleet efficiency or performance,” said Christine Wagner, General Manager, Fleet and Upfitting, Ford Australia.
Wagner told WhichCar both fleet and private buyers were buying its electric van – prompting the addition of the smaller E-Transit Custom – aided by improving charging infrastructure, too.
“Their key consideration is capability – will an electric van do the job they need it to do?” Wagner said.
“While the segment is still relatively small, we see it as a growing opportunity … It may seem like an obvious thing, but, anecdotally, drivers enjoy having a quiet cabin given how much time they spend in it.”
From $104,990 plus on-roads costs, the E-Transit is priced considerably higher than its diesel equivalent – nearly 40 percent – but is impressively close to the LDV eDeliver9’s asking price of $99,990.
The eDeliver9 also offers the same load space as its diesel version, with a 280km range but is speed limited to 90km/h.
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Mercedes will sell the eSprinter later in 2024 – and with supposedly nearly 500km range.
Less convincing on paper is the Renault Master E-Tech – confirmed for Australia in 2024 – with a less potent (57kW) electric motor than key rivals and only a 200km driving range.
It makes Renault the only brand to offer an electric van in all three main light commercial segments.
Future electric vans
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Ford also has an upcoming electric small van, if not yet confirmed for Australia. The E-Transit Courier (pictured above) shares its underpinnings with the upcoming Puma EV compact electric SUV that is heading down-under.
What about the biggest-selling van in Australia, the Toyota HiAce?
Australia’s most popular van does not yet have an electric model in local showrooms.
The Japanese car maker revealed a prototype electric version of its ‘H400’ global HiAce in late 2023, tipped for showrooms in 2025 – although it’s yet to make any official confirmation.
In Europe, Toyota sells the electric ProAce – which is made alongside its Peugeot e-Expert twin that will be offered here in 2024 – while in Australia, it tested a V6 hydrogen-fuelled HiAce in late 2023.
Hyundai, too, has also played in the fuel-cell space with its Staria Load, and while it has been a major electric car player in Australia – and even has an electric truck here – it doesn’t have an electric van in showrooms.
The Staria Load Hybrid – currently only offered in South Korea – could make its way here, while a battery-electric version is rumoured for production in 2026.
What seems certain is that the electric-van segment is one that looks set to keep filling up with options for businesses.
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