Although the tax advantages are still some way off, the landscape of electric vans is beginning to take shape. Several brands are launching their new 100% electric “Light Commercial Vehicles,” or LCVs. One of these is the Ford e-Transit. Stroohm had the pleasure of testing a Ford e-Transit. Given Stroohm’s activity – we assist companies in making the transition to an electric fleet (including vans) – we wondered what the practical impact would be in a realistic situation. Specifically, what is the impact of the weight you carry on the driving range? Coincidentally, we at Stroohm install several thousand charging stations every year with our own technicians and thus have a lot of experience with vans carrying quite a few kilos. Time for a practical test!  

Ford e-Transit

To start, we first take a look at the specific demo model we were privileged to test, the new Ford e-Transit. The 100% electric van from the American manufacturer marks an important milestone in the transition to electrification in the commercial vehicle market. As an all-electric variant of the iconic Transit series, this van offers a good combination of power, range and versatility. One of the most striking aspects of the e-Transit is its powerful electric powertrain. With significant torque readily available, the e-Transit offers smooth acceleration and a responsive driving experience. To quote one of our colleagues, “As a daily Tesla driver last weekend, I was impressed with how smoothly the e-Transit drives, almost the feel of a normal passenger car.” The 67 kWh battery provides enough power to carry heavy loads and provide a solid range. Although it depends on several factors, such as driving style and road conditions, on paper the e-Transit has a WLTP range of 317km. Knowing that the average distance covered by vans today is between 120 and 170km, this 317km is more than sufficient for most daily business activities. With a maximum permissible payload of 1,758kg, the e-Transit also covers many different usage profiles. Indeed, these usage profiles are largely the determining factor in whether it is feasible to electrify the van fleet.

Electric vans are the next evolution to follow quickly after passenger cars. Taking into account a few hundred kilograms of cargo weight, consumers still want to be able to drive 300km smoothly.

The Practice

To determine whether electric vans are possible within the fleet, the most important step is to correctly analyze the usage profiles. Stroohm analyzes based on real measured data and offers advice on the following questions, among others:

  • How are the vans used? (continuously on the road as with last-mile deliveries or rather a few limited trips per day as with technicians?)
  • Do they stand idle for a long time and could therefore be recharged? (at the yard for technicians? ; at the depot for deliveries? ; …)
  • How many miles per day are currently driven with our diesel vans?
  • How far and how frequent are long distances?
  • What are the practical requirements? (maximum allowable payload, cooling, etc.)

For Stroohm specifically – and similar technical profiles – it is mainly important to have sufficient driving range left when several kilos are loaded. To determine this, we asked ourselves the question “what would be the difference in consumption between a trip without a load and the exact same trip with a 500kg load?”. To know this correctly we did 2 exactly equal trips with following specifications:

  • ± 25km distance
  • Mix of zone 30, built-up area, zone 70, zone 90 and highway (@120km/h)
  • Both tests right after each other to avoid differences in traffic and weather
  • 1 driver and 1 passenger
  • Once 0 kg in the cargo area and once 500kg in the cargo area
The test results

What turns out in practice? Without a load, we recorded a surprisingly low consumption of about 15 to 17kWh/100km with the Ford e-Transit in the first kilometers (zone 30 and 50). This would be a nice achievement even for a passenger car. As soon as we entered the freeway the consumption logically went up towards 25 to 27kWh/100km. Halfway through our planned tour we returned to the same route and, after a total distance of 24.3km (38:31min ; average 38km/h), arrived at a very respectable average consumption of 22kWh/100km. Based on the 67kWh battery, an “empty” e-Transit could cover a good 300km. Not far at all from the theoretical WLTP value, in other words. 500kg of turbo concrete bags in the cargo space later, it was time for copy-test number 2. Other than weight, all parameters including driving style remained the same and we knew the impact of weight on driving range. In the first kilometers there was hardly any difference in consumption (16 to 18kWh/100km). On the highway at 120km/h we did notice a bigger difference. Consumption briefly peaked towards 30kWh/100km, which is still quite okay. After all, if you only drive freeway with the e-Transit you would still be able to drive more than 200km in practice. A lot more than the 120 to 170km average figures. After 24.1km (38:32min; average 37km/h) the trip computer gave us a consumption of 25kWh/100km for trip 2. A difference of 3kWh/100km (or about 14%) compared to a trip without a load. So with a 500kg load, the driving range would be around 270km.  

Conclusion

Based on the general averages of 120 to 170km per day, the Ford e-Transit – and by extension other recent e-LCVs – with a real range of between 200 and 300km would provide more than adequate coverage in terms of daily distances. To roll out a large-scale implementation of electric vans, as mentioned earlier, many other factors come into play. A proper analysis of the geographically efficient deployment of LCVs as well as the possible roll-out of charging infrastructure at home or at the office/depot/warehouse will make it clear which job groups or even which specific employees can already make the switch. At the same time it will also become clear for whom it is not yet feasible in the short term and from which point onwards it would be possible.   Contact one of our experts at fleet.services@stroohm.be and find out how to roll out electrification of your vans.

By Matthias Soetewey Senior EV Expert Fleet.services@stroohm.be

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