Boxing Clever
The new Voltia XL, based on the Stellantis medium vans, provides more load space on the same footprint at an affordable price
Voltia, the Slovakian electric vehicle consultancy and vehicle converter, has reached an agreement with Stellantis to convert electric variants of the medium-sized Citroën Dispatch, Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro, as well as the Toyota Proace, into high-cube versions of the same vans. The conversions will be offered on both L1 and L2 variants and are being badged as Voltia XL models. L1 variants will offer 9.6m3 of load space, rising to 11.0m3 for L2 models. Payload will range from 800kg to 1,000kg. Voltia quotes a range of up to 174 miles (280km).
The deal is a new one and does not yet include the UK, but the company hopes that the framework agreed with Stellantis in other European countries will also work in the UK. Under this agreement the vehicle would be distributed through key Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall dealerships and through the company fleet sales team. For the UK, there is also a relationship with Sam Clarke, chief vehicle officer at Gridserve, who also works as an agent for Voltia in the UK.
“As far as Gridserve is concerned, as well as building infrastructure, we also lease vehicles as well, so through various partners as well we’re also a leasing broker,” says Clarke. “As a result of that relationship, we can lease any electric vehicles in the UK. So, through that mechanism, should people in the UK wish to finance Voltia vehicles, then we can do that through a finance package.”
Sam Clarke, chief vehicle officer at Gridserve
Voltia previously carried out conversion work on the Nissan e-NV200 and the Stellantis-based conversions follow a similar pattern. The existing roof is removed and replaced with a high roof made from automotive grade fibreglass, supported by a steel frame, which increases the available load volume of the vehicle while having a minimal impact on payload.
You might wonder why Voltia offers the conversion when Stellantis builds a longer version of the van, which would similarly increase the available load space. The answer is a combination of cost and choice. Whereas the cost of moving up a size for diesel-powered vans is relatively modest, this is not always the case for electric models.
Where the Stellantis models are concerned, the price steps are quite similar to those for diesel models. Using the Peugeot e-Expert as an example, the cost argument only really applies if you are moving from, for instance a Standard model with the smaller 50kWh battery pack to a Long model with a 75kWh battery pack, where the price step is just under £4,000.
“The primary target customer remains the parcel services,” explains Voltia head of sales Silvester Pullman. “Frankly speaking we’ve sold some of the Stellantis models already here in Europe and so far, every client is a parcel delivery service. But I believe that with a 1,000kg payload, we will get interest from other industries as well. we are also working on a refrigerated version, so there could be food delivery, grocery delivery as well included.”
For parcel companies in particular, a high roof offers a greater level of practicality, enabling the driver to stand upright in the load area. In urban areas, a vehicle with more compact dimensions is likely to be better suited to delivery operations than the longer versions of the vehicle.
To begin with, Voltia will carry out conversion work in Slovakia, but the longer-term plan is to carry out conversion work locally as Pullman explained. “We have pre-agreed production partners in France, Germany and the UK. As soon as the situation requires, or the moment this will be easier and cheaper for the client, we will move production to these local partners.”
Obviously the conversion could impact the new vehicle warranty. “The standard process is that Stellantis will issue a non-objection letter, which basically means that we have already met every condition, the van has been tested at their facilities for several days, so it meets all the quality standards they require,” says Pullman. “Once this is in place and signed, the outcome of this, more or less, will be that Stellantis is responsible for everything that we did not touch and we are responsible for everything we did touch – put in a simple way.”
With extended lead times for vehicles because of the shortage of components, Voltia does not expect to sell many vehicles this year but has bigger plans for the future.
