The new Vauxhall Vivaro-e is an electric van designed to impress and with prices starting at £20,361 ex VAT, there’s bound to be a lot of interest.
The new offering delivers a range of up to 205 miles and the long-wheelbase variant will cost from £39,811 which includes the government’s £8,000 grant for plug-in vans.
The new van is available to order this month and is likely to be delivered to customers in October.
Impressive Vauxhall Vivaro-e
The impressive Vauxhall Vivaro-e is joining a growing market of electric commercial vans such as the popular Nissan e-NV200 and the soon-to-arrive Mercedes eVito.
Along with the choice of two wheelbases, customers also have double panel or van seating arrangements and a battery pack choice of either 50 kWh or 75 kWh.
The smaller battery delivers a realistic range, Vauxhall says, of 144 miles whereas the larger battery delivers 205 miles.
The Vivaro-e also comes with a choice of two trims – the Dynamic model is the entry into the range while the Elite variant is packed with equipment.
The Dynamic Vivaro-e features rear parking sensors, front fog lamps, heated door mirrors, cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers and hill hold assist.
The dashboard features a 3.5-inch digital instrument binnacle along with a 7-inch infotainment system, electric windows and a multifunction steering wheel.
Flagship Vauxhall Vivaro-e Elite
For those interested in the flagship Vauxhall Vivaro-e Elite, then it’s only available with the firm’s 75 kWh battery pack and it features metallic paint, body coloured bumpers, larger alloy wheels and LED daytime running lights.
There is also a semi-adaptive cruise control system along with lane departure warning and a panoramic rearview camera.
Also, the double cab seating layout is only available with the long base Elite.
At 1,226 kg, the payload for the electric van is just 130 kg less than it is for the diesel engine siblings.
The model also has a maximum load volume of 6.6 cubic metres – the same as the diesel engine versions and the electric motor used on the van is the same one that develops 134 bhp with torque of 260Nm and found in the Vauxhall Corsa-e.
The van’s top speed has been electronically limited to 81 mph.
Charging times for the Vauxhall Vivaro-e battery
For businesses worried about charging times for the Vauxhall Vivaro-e battery, then the 50 kWh battery pack will take around 30 minutes to reach 80% of its capacity using a 100kW DC fast-charger.
The 75 kWh battery will take 35 minutes to reach 80%.
However, using a domestic wall charger will take around seven hours and 30 minutes for the smaller battery to recharge, and for the larger battery it will take more than 11 hours.
The Vauxhall Vivaro is a great offering for those wanting an electric van and the firm says it is planning to add more vans to its electric offering in the next few years.