KGM Musso EV
VFW drives the KGM Musso EV. It’s still in prototype form but production models are due to be in showrooms very soon.
KGM Musso EV
VFW drives the KGM Musso EV. It’s still in prototype form but production models are due to be in showrooms very soon.
Before we get down to the nuts and bolts, it’s worth taking a look at the pricing of the Musso EV. As we know, the current position is that unless a pickup truck can carry a 1,000kg payload, VAT is not recoverable on the purchase price. The Musso EV has a payload allowance of 690kg. That is normally a dealbreaker for commercial users of pickup trucks, but we spoke to KGM Motors UK sales director Clive Messenger who explained the position. “The reason why we and I have decided to bring the Musso EV to the UK market is that regardless of the VAT, we can bring this vehicle to market and make it a really good value for money proposition. It does qualify for the £5,000 Plug-in Van Grant, which is great. So including VAT, it’s £44,995 on the road but with the grant, it’s sub-£40,000, which is the same price, or close to all the other double cab pickups including ours, excluding VAT.
“It means that when you look at the pricing of other EV pickups that come onto the market, they are £20,000 more expensive than this and that’s ex-VAT and this is a VAT-inclusive figure, so if we just assume non-VAT qualifying, it’s £20,000 cheaper. Then you look at the depreciation of all these pickup trucks over three years. It will cost you about £750 just to bridge that gap between the competition and us, so I’m starting to think this is quite a nice position to be in. But the key one for me, which is something I learned in my previous organisation at Mitsubishi is that we can give customers choice. So we’re not going to be in a position where we are trying to impress or push on customers, business users and fleet operators, that they have to buy this electric pickup truck, with our own motivation that we want to increase our EV mix to achieve compliance. We don’t need that.
“What we want to do is give customers and fleet operators etc a proposition where we say we have a traditional diesel double cab pickup truck, we have a 4x4 car-derived commercial vehicle with low Benefit-in-Kind, or we have an electric double cab pickup truck that does this. They are all about the same price, so you choose which one suits your business the best.”
So, if you like the idea of an electric all-wheel-drive pickup truck but don’t need a maximum payload of 1,000kg, the Musso EV could work very well on a cost basis, despite the lack of VAT recovery.
Messenger also suggested that reform is on the way for the 1,000kg threshold for reclaiming VAT. “HMRC have kind of agreed in principle that it is probably 600kg but the challenge is how they change that. Does it have to go through parliament, or is it just an addendum to the guidance? We’re pushing to get a decision on that because that’s quite fundamental.”
So what does the Musso EV offer? It has a permanent four-wheel-drive system with drive motors front and rear, automatically distributing torque to the wheels that need it most. The system incorporates a stability control system in co-ordination with the brake system. The battery is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the type favoured by heavy truck makers for their durability. It can be charged on a 300kW rapid charger. A heat pump is standard equipment, providing heating or cooling with lower energy consumption than a conventional heating system.
The battery has vehicle-to-load capability, meaning the battery can be used to power tools and equipment. The system will support power consumption up to 3.5kW until around 20% of battery capacity remains and the battery discharge limit can be preset. There are paddle controls to select the level of regenerative braking and this is also linked to a smart regenerative braking system which factors in the speed of the vehicle ahead, road gradient and speed cameras to optimise regenerative braking and minimise brake wear.
Musso EV offers three drive modes – Sport, Eco and Winter – which can be selected on the central screen. It has self-levelling suspension which will automatically raise the rear of the vehicle with a heavy load on board. It will tow a braked trailer up to 2,300kg. There’s a suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) from front and rear cross traffic alert to intelligent speed assist to forward collision warning, lane change collision warning, rear collision warning, blind spot detection, smart high beam, adaptive cruise control and more. It is well equipped.
What’s more, from our brief drive on the road, it offers an impressive drive. Firstly, noise levels are very low and the ride quality is impressive. The extra weight takes away the rocking motion that can accompany driving in a number of pickup trucks. As we’ve indicated, the Musso EV is comprehensively equipped and the single trim level includes leather seats. The interior is different from the current diesel Musso, but as Clive Messenger told us, the Musso is due a major facelift mid-year. Messenger says that 75% of the Musso will be new and there will be refinements to the interior and suspension. It seems likely that the Musso EV interior will make its way into the diesel models.
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