Peugeot e-Partner
John Kendall samples one of the French EVs from the Stellantis stable
Peugeot e-Partner
John Kendall samples one of the French EVs from the Stellantis stable
It is difficult keeping up with the number of variants of the Stellantis ‘K9’ compact van range. What began with the Citroën Berlingo and Peugeot Partner has expanded to include the Vauxhall Combo and, more recently, the Toyota Proace City. Just arriving now is the Fiat Doblo, which brings a total of five different models based on the same architecture.
Where the electric models are concerned, Stellantis and Toyota have had the market more or less to themselves, with other manufacturers behind in producing similar sized electric models. That is now changing with the imminent arrival of the new Renault Kangoo and later the Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo, which will provide an electric alternative for VW Caddy customers.
From our experience so far, it’s clear that the Kangoo E-Tech will be offering some strong competition, which will be backed up by the models sharing its architecture, the electric variants of the Mercedes-Benz Citan and Nissan Townstar.
Over the years, the Peugeot Partner has built up a good reputation, offering a user-friendly van with competitive running costs. With fuel prices still stubbornly high, the attractions of an electric model are there to see for fleets that can operate with the 170-mile electric range offered. While that is less than diesel models will provide on a tankful, it’s a very competitive figure in the world of electric vans.
The e-Partner offers three potential charging methods. The 50kWh Lithium-ion battery pack can be charged from a 7kW AC wallbox charge point, suitable for home installation. Charging from fully discharged should take around 7h 30 mins. Where fleet depots have a source of three-phase electrical power, an 11kW AC charger will reduce that charging time to five hours. And using a 100kW DC rapid charge point will provide 80% capacity in 30 minutes. Fleets covering daily mileages greater than the Partner’s maximum range might find that the rapid charge facility would make the e-Partner a workable alternative to diesel, depending on the available charging, of course.
The e-Partner offers the same load space as any other Partner – our test vehicle was the standard-length model with a load volume of between 3.3m3 and 3.8m3, the higher figure made possible by the optional Multi-flex folding dual passenger seat and through-loading bulkhead, as fitted to our test vehicle.
The nearside passenger seat drops as it is folded forward so that the metal lined seatback forms an extension of the load floor at the same level. With the bulkhead access flap removed, longer loads such as pipes or ladders can be accommodated. Separately the middle seat folds down to form a table top – offering mobile office space. The 803kg payload is competitive and should cover most requirements for a compact van.
The e-Partner gets an all-digital instrument pack replacing the analogue instruments of the diesel and petrol models. Dashboard displays can be configured to show different information including navigation information, so in many respects the instrument pack is more user-friendly on e-Partner models. Then there’s the separate central screen providing control over the radio and audio system, navigation and heating and ventilation.
ON THE ROAD
Like its Stellantis stablemates, e-Partner is easy to drive – switch on, select forward or reverse and drive. Noise levels are inevitably lower than for petrol or diesel models without an engine generating noise and vibration. Peugeot offers three driving modes, selected with a dashboard switch. These are Normal, Eco and Power and do as they suggest. Normal offers a balance of performance and driving range, Power favours performance over range and Eco the opposite, reigning in performance to offer the greatest range. Regenerative braking is a standard feature providing some top-up charging when the van is slowing down or the driver is braking. This can be boosted by pressing the switch marked B on the drive selector, it will provide additional braking, useful with a load and with a bit of practice it is possible to drive without touching the brakes with this mode selected.
