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John Kendall ventured to Birmingham to see the latest news and developments from the van world
Anyone questioning whether the CV Show’s days were numbered might have thought differently after the first day. Visitor numbers seemed better than last year of the 2024 event and there was plenty to keep fleet managers engaged – particularly where electrification and EV transition were concerned.
Renault launched the new Master in a surprise unveiling at the Solutrans show last autumn in Lyon – and CV Show visitors could see the van for themselves as it made its UK debut. Meanwhile, the company had more to say on its electrification plans.
We can expect new Master EV to arrive early next year and the company is already working on a hydrogen fuel cell prototype. That technology will not spread to the Trafic range, so there will not be a rival to the Stellantis medium van fuel cell programme.
Renault will also be launching into the last mile delivery sector, as we saw at Solutrans, through its Mobilize brand – and we can expect the electric only Duo microvan, based on the Bento microcar, to arrive at the beginning of next year. More details will follow but it offers a load space of 0.5m3.
More from Maxus
For Maxus, the CV Show meant another vehicle launch with the unveiling of eDeliver 5, the latest electric model from the company, slotting in the middle of the eDeliver 3 and eDeliver 7. With between 6.6 and 7.2m3 of space available, there will be a bit of overlap with eDeliver 7 in size, while it will offer a 64kWh battery. the eDeliver 5 will follow the trend of its European rivals with a three-seat cab as standard. Production is due to start in May with the first vehicles arriving in time for the new registration year in September.
We can also expect a four-wheel-drive electric T90 pickup, but it won’t be attractive to business users since the weight of the batteries will keep payload below the 1,000kg threshold for reclaiming VAT.
Canoo are you?
Fresh from it’s appearance at the Great British Fleet Event the previous week, US EV builder Canoo made its CV Show debut this year. It is not a new startup – Canoo has been on sale in the US for a number of years, but the company is turning its attention to the U.K. and other European markets.
Canoo builds both passenger models and light CVs, but it is the LCVs that will provide the initial focus. “What we've concentrated on is 130 cubic feet and 190 cubic feet, putting it in American measure,” Canoo CEO Tony Aquila told VFW. In cubic metres that is 3.68 and 5.38, competing with high cube compact and medium models respectively. Initially, all models would be built in the United States, but the plan would be to introduce localised production.
“We'll sign up just a handful of customers and then we'll take those customers, we'll build the vehicles in the US and ship them here. In that time, we'll figure out how much of the vehicle we need to denominate in the British pound and then, we can do assembly work here. Our goal is to create jobs here, do assembly work and then have a service maintenance and repair network that will be supported”, says Aquila. Watch this space.
“Canoo builds both passenger models and light CVs, but it is the LCVs that will provide the initial focus”
Special delivery
Another debut was B-On, specialising in vans for last mile deliveries. The company began life as a German venture, producing vehicles for the German Post Office and DHL. The company now has Chinese backing.
There will be a single model of the Pelkan panel van, offering two battery options. The Pelkan 43 is equipped with a 43.5kWh battery pack and the Pelkan 54 gets a larger 53.6kWh battery. The Pelkan 43 tips the scales at 1,675kg, giving a maximum payload of 1,350kg. The larger battery of the Pelkan 54 raises kerb weight to 1,725kg, reducing payload to a maximum of 1,300kg. Body volume remains at 7.1m3 for both models. The company is not seeking to take on the big European van manufacturers, but will be sharply focussed on producing a competitively priced no-frills last mile delivery vehicle, backed up by telematics, fleet management software and charging support.
