PSA Group, which of course these days encompasses Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and, in the UK, Vauxhall, has confirmed that by the end of next year it will offer electric versions of all of the compact van models made by all of its brands.
All versions to launch by late 2021
That means we will, over the next 12 months, be seeing battery versions badged Vauxhall Combo-e, Opel Combo-e, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen e-Berlingo. Battery power will also be rolled out to the passenger versions of those vans, including the Opel Combo-e Life and the Peugeot e-Rifter. The electric compact vans and the battery packs will be assembled at the Vigo plant in Galicia, Spain, the electric motors in Tremery in France and the final drive gears in Valenciennes in France.
Common battery, chassis and motor
Because all of these models use the PSA Group’s ‘eCMP’ platform as their basis, they will also all share the same battery pack and electric motor. Those will be the 50kWh water-cooled battery, as seen in the Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa-e passenger cars, and the 100kW (136hp) electric motor, also already seen in those cars. The same basic setup is also available in larger vans, such as the Peugeot e-Boxer and Opel Vivaro-e. The vans will have a maximum charging speed of 100kW from public rapid chargers, and will have an on-board charging system with either 7.4kW or, optionally, 11kW for charging at home or at depot.
Electrification offensive
Xavier Peugeot, Senior Vice-President of Groupe PSA’s Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit said: “With these all-electric versions of compact vans and associated passenger cars, Groupe PSA is continuing its electrification offensive and now offers a completely electrified LCV portfolio without compromises on performance.”