► Fancy going electric but don’t want a new vehicle?
► Stellantis plans conversion programme for its vans
► Takes existing vans, installs a motor and battery
The route to an electric vehicle could be made easier, and potentially cheaper, thanks to a planned scheme to turn diesel vans into electric ones.
Stellantis has announced that it is launching a scheme in France that would take existing vans, strip out their engines and replace them with an electric motor and battery, giving old vehicles a second life.
‘We all know that an electric car is more expensive than a diesel car and there are some professionals who are keen to go for an electric answer, because there are zero-emission zones in big cities, for instance, but it’s expensive,’ said Stellantis’ senior vice president for commercial vehicles, Xavier Peugeot. ‘So how do they cope with the situation? By going for an E retrofit solution, which we are proposing.’
Stellantis is only offering the conversion on its medium-size vans to start off with – the Citroen Dispatch, Peugeot Expert, Fiat Scudo and Vauxhall Vivaro fit the bill therefore.
The idea is that you would be able to take your existing vehicle with, say, 100,000km (62,000 miles) or so on the clock into Stellantis and it would replace the engine with a battery capable of a 120-mile range. Payload would take a slight hit, and go down to around 900kg, the firm says.
First in-house conversion
The conversion is being carried out by Qinomiq, but to all intents and purposes the offer is a Stellantis one. You would take your vehicle to your Stellantis dealer, explains Peugeot, and they would manage the work.
You would then be treated like any other customer when it comes to aftersales, with the company offering a warranty on the newly installed tech. Given that new batteries come with a mandatory eight-year warranty, the likelihood is that you would get similar on the conversion.
Stellantis hasn’t confirmed whether you would get any sort of upgrade on the warranty cover on the rest of the van, or indeed any work would have to be carried out other than that which is necessary to remove the engine and install the electric powertrain.
The cost of that installation is not insignificant, with Peugeot saying it will be around €20,000 (£17,400), although this is yet to be finalised.
The price is being quoted in Euros because the initial plan is for the scheme to launch in France first, although Stellantis has said that it intends to take it to other countries ‘including the UK.’ It will kick off in France in late 2024, with a UK launch time still TBC.
There would be different challenges in respective countries, such as reclassifying the vehicle as an electric van. However, this should theoretically be possible. There might even be cash available to contribute towards the cost – the London van scrappage scheme offers up to £6000 to those planning to retrofit a van.
Want to stick with a hybrid?
Not ready to let go of your engine entirely? The only other major scheme out there will take your existing van and turn it into a plug-in range extender.
The company behind this scheme is Bedeo. Once again you are restricted to Stellantis vans, but the large ones in this instance. This is because Bedeo was the company behind the first Citroen eRelay and Peugeot eBoxer. However, Stellantis is planning to take the production of these models inhouse, so Bedeo is on the hunt for alternative routes to market.
This system leaves the diesel engine but replaces the rear axle with two in-wheel motors. These are then powered by a battery that goes underneath the floor. The van is primarily powered by the battery, with a 73-mile range, but you can switch so that it is driven by the engine instead should you need to go on a longer journey.