Vans
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Electric vehicles are not only zero-emission and quieter and more pleasant to drive, they also clearly lower emissions of the carbon dioxide linked to climate change under most circumstances. For fleet operators who recharge large fleets of electric vehicles overnight, however, the load on electric grids and consequent demand charges pose a significant concern. The solution to that is energy storage, in which large battery banks are steadily charged over the day, especially at times when energy is cheapest and perhaps greenest. DON'T MISS: UPS: 50 Workhorse plug-in hybrid trucks cost no more...
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UPS says 50 Workhorse plug-in hybrid trucks cost no more than regular delivery vans
For almost a decade, commercial-fleet managers have acknowledged that electric truck are much cheaper to run per mile than the diesel equivalents they now use. But justifying the purchase of electric trucks has been a challenge because their upfront costs have been considerably higher. That may now...
John Voelcker -
Voltia conversion expands Nissan e-NV200 electric delivery van for London
As the United Kingdom joins other countries in committing to a future ban on fossil-fuel vehicles, commercial fleet operators that rely on diesel vehicles are left in a bit of a pickle. Nissan has an answer in its zero-emission eNV200 electric cargo van, but its small dimensions leave a lot to be...
Mark Stevenson -
Driving a Chanje electric electric cargo van: very big, far better than diesel
A Class 5 cargo van is a remarkably large vehicle, especially when navigating it through the mixed industrial and 19th-century residential streets of the Prospect Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The Chanje V8070 electric cargo van, in fact, is the largest vehicle—electric or...
John Voelcker -
Workhorse N-Gen electric parcel van comes with optional drone delivery
Workhorse, best known for its forthcoming W-15 range-extended electric pickup truck, today revealed its newest vehicle. The N-Gen electric van will tackle the important "last-mile" delivery segment, performed by vehicles that deliver parcels over relatively short distances. Not only makers like...
Sean Szymkowski -
Nissan e-NV200 electric van gets longer-range battery; still no U.S. plans
While U.S. buyers eagerly await the arrival of the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car at dealerships early next year, the company has updated another of its electric vehicles as well. Unfortunately, it's one that the company has no current plans to sell in North America. That's the new longer-range...
John Voelcker -
A new electric-vehicle company called Chanje isn't focused on cars; instead, has set its sights on what it believes is a prime market for electric vehicles. That market is medium-duty delivery trucks, of which there are 7 million in the United States. About 500,000 new commercial-delivery trucks are sold each year. Chanje's electric truck, its sole U.S. product, is built from the ground up and differs from those created by companies that rely on retrofitting current commercial trucks. DON'T MISS: UK Royal Mail electric vans now entering service The Chanje electric delivery van is also going...
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Renault Kangoo ZE small electric van now on sale with longer range
French automaker Renault has given its small light commercial electric vehicle a handful of upgrades, including a significantly longer battery range. The Renault Kangoo ZE is now officially on sale with a longer rated range, a more powerful charging system, and a heat pump to keep the little van...
Sean Szymkowski -
Deutsche Post and Ford to build Transit-based electric van
Deutsche Post, the German mail service, has long hoped to replace its fleet of 30,000 internal-combustion delivery vans with electric vehicles. In 2014, it bought the company Street Scooter, which has since built thousands of small car-sized electric delivery vans. Now Deutsche Post has announced...
John Voelcker -
UPS electric van with fuel-cell range extender to be tested in California
Considerable skepticism remains that passenger vehicles powered by hydrogen will become a major part of U.S. sales any time soon—or ever. Quietly, however, analysts suggest that hydrogen may provide a solution to the different challenges of producing zero-emission heavy trucks and delivery...
John Voelcker -
European brands adopt electric delivery trucks: Harrods, Hermes
In the U.S., electric-car advocates and green energy fans have been dealt some setbacks during recent weeks. In Europe, however, the push toward electrification remains as strong--and trendy--as ever. Delivering on zero emissions In Germany, courier service Hermes (not to be confused with French...
Richard Read -
Nissan e-NV200 beats Renault Kangoo ZE in electric van sales in Europe
The Renault-Nissan Alliance continues to lead all other automakers globally in sales of battery-electric cars. The Nissan Leaf is the best-selling electric car in history, while the Renault Zoe now leads the European market for cars with plugs. But Renault-Nissan's electric-vehicle dominance isn't...
Stephen Edelstein -
When an automaker doesn't offer a vehicle for a specific market segment, sometimes the aftermarket will fill in the gap. In the U.S., all-electric commercial vans are one of those gaps. Such vehicles are available in other markets, but so far, not on sale from major makers in North America. DON'T MISS: Renault adds new Master ZE larger electric delivery van Nissan, for example, sells its e-NV200 in Japan and Europe but in not the U.S., despite the fact that it sells the gasoline-powered NV200 here (and Chevrolet sells the same vehicle as the City Express as well). At the recent 2017 Detroit...
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Renault adds new Master ZE larger electric delivery van
French carmaker Renault sells no passenger cars in North America, and hasn't for almost 30 years now. But in Europe, its all-electric Zoe subcompact hatchback has been the best-selling plug-in electric car for months on end. The Zoe is one of three "ZE" (zero emission) vehicles sold by Renault, and...
John Voelcker -
GM adds B20 biodiesel capability to Chevy, GMC diesel trucks, cars
When it comes to reducing emissions, fleet operators generally have fewer options than individual buyers of passenger cars. There are fewer zero-emission vehicle options for vehicles that see commercial use, although those vehicles often cover more miles every year than the average passenger car...
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford Transit Connect Hybrid taxi prototype to appear in Detroit
A prototype Ford Transit Hybrid taxi will appear at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show.
Stephen Edelstein -
VW 'annoyed' it won't get order for electric vans it didn't make
Suppose you're one of the world's three largest automakers. You don't offer a type of vehicle that a relatively small but highly visible customer in your home market wants. Do you have the right to be annoyed if that customer designs those vehicles itself? DON'T MISS: USPS picks AM General to help...
John Voelcker -
VW e-Crafter, Mercedes Urban e-truck concept: electric vans for Europe
The Volkswagen e-Crafter and Mercedes-Benz Urban e-truck concept debuted at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany.
Stephen Edelstein -
AM General, the firm best known for building Hummer H1s in both civilian and military versions, has been selected by a rather different governmental agency to help create a prototype with a different kind of civic duty in mind. Postal trucks, those white boxes that deliver your mail, haven't changed in decades. But that's all set to change. DON'T MISS: USPS 'Long Life' Vehicles Last 25 Years, But Age Shows Now AM General announced that it was one of six automakers selected to build a series of prototypes for the United States Postal Service. While details of the new postal carrier vehicles...
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Mercedes explores ways to turn its Sprinter van all-electric
Mercedes-Benz is reportedly planning an all-electric Sprinter model as part of an upcoming redesign of the van.
Stephen Edelstein -
When a Tesla Model S and Ferrari drag-race an electric van...what happens?
Startup Atieva built an electric van that smoked a Tesla Model S and Ferrari California T in a drag race.
Stephen Edelstein -
Germans to build own unique electric vans for postal service
Deutsche Post plans to start production of electric vans designed by a startup it acquired in 2014.
Stephen Edelstein -
Use Old Electric-Car Batteries To Electrify Used Vans, Carwatt Suggests (Video)
It's a frequent question about electric cars: What happens to the battery packs after they reach the limit of their automotive life? The usual answer is that they'll have a second life as energy storage in houses or for other stationary uses. But what if that second life were in another vehicle?...
John Voelcker -
Proposed 2021 Fuel Economy Rules For Heavy-Duty Trucks, Buses Released
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released proposed standards that would further boost the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and buses, starting in the 2021 model year and running through 2027. The new regulations were announced on Friday by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and...
John Voelcker