EV Brief 5/29/21 EV Brief 5/29/21

Peugeot e-Boxer last-mile electric delivery van priced from £49,335 in UK

Peugeot has announced pricing for its e-Boxer electric van in the UK. Customers have the choice of panel van, window van, and chassis cab body styles, three wheelbase lengths depending on business needs, and two battery options:

Peugeot’s e-Boxer will start from £49,335 in the UK after the PiCG. Images: Peugeot

Panel Van L2H2 435 37kWh Auto Professional - £49,335 (After Plug-in Car Grant)

Panel Van L3H2 435 70kWh Auto Professional - £55,085

Panel Van L3H2 440 70kWh Auto Professional - £58,355

Panel Van L4H2 440 70kWh Auto Professional - £59,255

Window Van L4H2 440 70kWh Auto Professional - £59,750

Chassis Cab L3 435 70kWh Auto Professional - £52,010

Chassis Cab L3 440 70kWh Auto Professional - £55,280

The entry model offers a 37 kWh battery with a 73-mile (117km) range (WLTP). Buyers can option a larger 70kWh battery, which will provide 139 miles (224km) of range, and will cost an additional £5,750.

All models come with a 22kW Type 2 charging cable that is compatible with both single and three phase wallboxes. A full 0-100% charge using a 7.4kW single phase wallbox can be achieved in six hours on the 37kWh battery, and 12 hours on the 70kWh battery. The e-Boxer also supports DC rapid charging up to 50kW, allowing a 0-80% charge in just one hour. Both battery options are connected to a 90kW electric motor producing 350Nm of torque.

Peugeot’s e-Boxer will offer a choice of 117km or 224km range models.

While the vehicle range-to-price ratio may seem uneconomical, electric delivery vans are set to be common sights on our streets in response to strict environmental standards being introduced at all levels of government across the United States and Europe. Volta is aiming to bring a range of electric trucks to European streets by 2025, and Amazon/Rivian’s delivery van is currently testing across the United States.

The efficient and clean movement of freight within dense urban areas is a complex problem facing municipalities and planners alike, and short-range, zero-emissions vehicles are set to slash diesel usage and particulate matter. There is potential to quickly reduce fleet operating costs, as well as downtime due to mechanical issues. Electric vehicles also offer the ability to integrate smart software into the vehicle, to optimise delivery routes and minimise driver fatigue.

Peugeot’s e-Boxer is available to order now for European customers.

EV Brief 10/27/20 EV Brief 10/27/20

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroën Merger Looks Set to Proceed

The European Commission looks set to approve the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot Société Anonyme (PSA) according to this report from Reuters. The US$38bn merger would create the worlds fourth largest auto manufacturing group, with a suite of brands including Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, Opel, Citroen DS and more.

One major sticking point for European regulators has been the estimated 35% market share of the European light van market by Stellantis. The company responded “To allay EU antitrust concerns, PSA has offered to strengthen Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp., with which it has a van joint venture, by ramping up production and selling it vans at close to cost price, people said. FCA and PSA will also allow their dealers in certain cities to repair rival brands.”

It’s expected that the merger will take 2-3 months to finalise, but should happen well before the offical February 2 2021 deadline.

Source: Reuters

Our opinion: COVID-19 has impacted carmakers significantly, with most revising down their unit sales figures for 2020 and their earnings estimates. FCA and PSA have a good foundation of EV research and development, as well as some good products on the market, but with consumers and government regulations alike demanding cleaner vehicles, billions of dollars will need to be spent by automakers over the coming 3-5 years to produce affordable electric vehicles.

The Volkswagen Group leads the way for legacy automakers in terms of EV R&D (partly due to penalties imposed as a result of the Dieselgate fiasco), and the ID.3 has received generally positive reviews since launch in Q2 2020. For other manufacturers to catch up to Volkswagen (let alone Tesla), It’s going to take a lot of money, and a merger of these two companies into Stellantis Group will allow for larger sharing of platform architecture and drivetrains, as well as manufacturing facilities. It may accelerate the electrification of all brands, and minimise the expensive purchase of regulatory credits to offset emissions from companies such as Tesla.