Citroën has opened orders for its fully electric ë-C3 Van, kicking off its plans to revolutionise the car-derived van segment with a practical and affordable electric solution. The
Citroën has opened orders for its fully electric ë-C3 Van, kicking off its plans to revolutionise the car-derived van segment with a practical and affordable electric solution.
The commercial counterpart to the ë-C3 supermini and a rival to the Dacia Spring Cargo, it’s priced from under £20,000 with the Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG) and delivers a 200-mile WLTP range while a cheaper, entry-level version is expected later.
It’s based on the Plus grade of the passenger version but ditches the rear seats to create a 1.2m long and 1m wide (at floor level) load area, complete with a full-height mesh and solid bulkhead as well as a mid-height load cover.
Load volume stands at 730 litres under the load cover, or 1,220 litres without it, and payload is 300kg. By way of comparison, the Dacia Spring Cargo offers a payload of 370kg with a maximum 1,085 litres of load space.
The ë-C3 Van launch model features the 113hp motor and the 44kWh battery from the ë-C3 for the top 200-mile range – compared to 140 for its Dacia rival and 199 for the ë-C3 in passenger-carrying guise. It’s also to charge at up to 100kW via a DC rapid charger, giving a 20-80% charge in around 26 minutes.
A cheaper version with a smaller battery is expected to arrive later.
As with the car version, the van delivers the French brand’s Advanced Comfort seats and Advanced Comfort suspension with progressive hydraulic cushions.
It also comes with the same benchmark features as the Plus version of the ë-C3, including a 10.25-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, head-up display, LED headlights, cruise control and rear parking sensors. However, the alloy wheels are switched to 17-inch steel versions with wheel trims to avoid kerbing costs for operators.
The new ë-C3 Van is available to order now from £22,437 (£19,937 after the PiVG). Its arrival means Citroën now offers three electric commercial vehicles with starting prices under £30k, also including the My Ami Cargo Kit quadricycle and ë-Berlingo Van.
