Offered for sale by a leasing company, the long wheelbase, high roof van had been used for courier work within London and had covered 14,000 miles since it was first registered in 2008. It sold for £10,100, with a full service history and records of its conversion, including bids from the auction hall and via BCA’s live online service.

Duncan Ward, BCA’s General Manager, Commercial Vehicles commented: “There is undoubtedly a lot of interest in electric power to combat the rising cost of traditional fuels, with fleets, leasing companies and end users looking for economical and environmentally-friendly alternatives in the commercial vehicle sector.”

Based on a Ford Transit chassis, the Smith Edison is available as a 3.5 and 4.6 tonne panel van, minibus and chassis cab for conversion to tipper, dropside or refrigerated setup. It has a range of up to 110 miles, a top speed of 50mph and a payload of up to 2,111kg.