The Citroen Berlingo All-Electric Commercial Van

The Zero-Emission Commercial Van Revolution Is Well Underway And It Is Only A Matter Of Time That Polluting ICE Vans Will Be Discarded To History!

Most, if not all of us, easily recognise the ubiquitous red coloured Royal Mail postal vans. In fact, some of you may have already spotted the all-electric vans currently being used by the Royal Mail. To be precise, a fleet of 100 battery electric vans are already in operation, delivering our precious cargo emission-free!

In its commitment to zero-emission road transportation, the Royal Mail announced adding another 190 all-electric vans to its current fleet. The vans will initially be introduced in London and the South East, but will eventually be deployed nationwide.

Royal Mail is not the only organization with a commitment to reducing its overall carbon footprint. In fact many other U.K. based businesses are already using pure electric vans or have announced their intention to replace polluting internal combustion engine (ICE) vans with zero-emission pure electric vans. This is a trend gaining momentum and is positioned well to scale.

According to the Paul Gatti, the Royal Mail Fleet Director, “Our research has shown that electric vans are a good operational fit with our business. We are delighted to be using them in our daily operations. This is good news for our customers and the towns and cities, which we serve. It also means we are on the front foot for future change in emission legislation. Emissions are an important issue for us at Royal Mail.”

Citroen Berlingo All-Electric Commercial Van (credit: Citroen)

Citroen Berlingo Electric: A Snapshot

The Citroen Berlingo Electric is a battery-powered version of the Berlingo range of vans. The Berlingo pure electric van was introduced into the U.K. market in 2013. Though a new ICE Berlingo was launched last year, the all-electric remains the same. The upgraded Berlingo Electric is not expected to hit the roads until 2021.

The Berlingo Electric is not the first electric van developed by Citroen. The Citroen Electrique was released in 2010 and 250 electric vans were supplied to the French postal service (La Poste).

Though the Berlingo Electric has been around for over 5 years, it has failed to rival the success of its competitors like Renault and Nissan all-electric vans. The 106 miles (NEDC) driving range falls far short of the Renault Kangoo Z.E. 33 and the Nissan e-NV200 range performance. In fact, depending on the ‘real world’ driving conditions the range could be as low as 60 miles. The company has published a WLTP 65 miles all-electric range and up to 80 miles city electric range.

However, an advantage that the Berlingo has over its rivals, is its ability to rapid charge (DC), with up to 80% battery charge within 30 minutes. The pure electric van has two charge ports, to also include an AC ‘standard’ charge port (charges 100% in 8 hours from a type 2 socket).

The electric vehicle battery is included in the price of the electric van i.e. no need to lease separately. The 80 cells battery pack is located at the rear of the van without any impact on load volume. Running costs (energy) 2-3 pence per mile.