Fiat launches full-electric Ducato commercial van

MILAN – Fiat has launched a full-electric version of the Ducato medium van – Europe's best-selling light-commercial vehicle --  as the sector starts to shift from diesel powertrains in response to changing emissions and pollution standards. 

Battery-electric van sales will see a “huge jump” this year, said Eric Laforge, head of Fiat Professional light-commercial vehicles for Europe.

Fewer than 3,000 full-electric medium vans were sold in 2020, he said.

Laforge, speaking at an online event to launch the E-Ducato, as it is called, said that within five years up to 25 percent of light-commercial vehicles sold in Europe could be battery electric, and in 10 years that figure could reach 80 percent.

The e-Ducato went on sale in Italy in March at a base price of 60,800 euros ($73,369), excluding VAT, more than twice the cost of a comparable diesel version. 

Two battery sizes are available (47 or 79 kilowatt hours), with a 90 kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels. Peak torque is 280 newton meters. With the larger battery, the van has a range of 280 km (174 miles) on the WLTP mixed cycle, and up to 370 km in urban conditions. 

Fiat says 100 km of range can be added in less than 30 minutes with an optional 50 kilowatt DC charger.

Luca Marengo, the head of product marketing at Fiat Professional, said that the total cost of ownership over the E-Ducato’s life cycle would be comparable to diesel versions, thanks to an eight- or 10-year battery warranty and lower maintenance and fuel costs.

According to statistics provider DataForce, Fiat sold about 150,000 Ducatos last year, making it the best-selling commercial vehicle overall and giving it a 20 percent market share in the medium van segment. The Ducato is built at Stellantis’ factory in Atessa, Italy, alongside Citroen (Jumper) and Peugeot (Boxer) versions. Those two vehicles have full-electric variants converted by a third-party supplier.

Most automakers have already started to offer full-electric drivetrain on their large vans, largely through converters. Vehicles already on the market include the Mercedes Sprinter, Renault Master and Volkswagen Crafter. Ford will launch an electric version of the Transit next year. StreetScooter, a short-lived partnership to build electric vans between Ford and Deutsche Post, halted operations at the start of 2020.

Other competitors include the SAIC brand Maxus and EV startups such as Arrival and Rivian.

Dataforce estimates that 2.3 percent of commercial vans sold in Europe will be full-electric this year, compared with 2 percent last year and 0.6 percent in 2016.

Fiat declined to give a sales target, but large fleet operators are expected to be the biggest customers, said Domenico Gostoli, the head of electrification programs at Fiat Professional. The E-Ducato has been developed over five years in cooperation with logistics giant DHL, which has a fleet of 14,500 vehicles in Europe, the majority of which are medium vans.

Alberto Nobis, head of DHL Express Europe, said the company has committed to having 60 percent full-electric vehicles by 2030.

The E-Ducato is assembled without a drivetrain in the Atessa factory, then shipped north to Stellantis’ Mirafiori plant in Turin, where the batteries and electrical powertrain components are installed. Those components are provided by the Italian subsidiary of SolarEdge, an Israeli company. Marengo said the electric assembly facility at Mirafiori has a potential output of close to 1,000 E-Ducatos per month.

Citroen and Peugeot medium vans are electrified in a different process, with components supplied by the Turkish company BD Auto. They offer 37 or 70 kWh batteries, with a range of up to 340 km. 

Laforge said it would take “some years” for the three Stellantis van brands to converge on a joint solution, although the partnership at Atessa, also known as Sevel Sud, dates back more than a decade. 

The E-Ducato is so far the only full-electric LCV in the Fiat Professional lineup. Laforge said the smaller Doblo and Talento vans will only be electrified with the next model generation. Citroen, Peugeot and Opel already have full-electric versions of car-derived and small vans.