PSA strengthens its electric van lineup

PARIS -- PSA Group will roll out battery-electric versions of its small commercial vans next year, with two range levels available.

The electric vans -- the Peugeot Expert, Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro and Citroen Jumpy -- will be assembled at PSA’s plant in Hordain, northern France, the automaker said. The drivetrains will be built at the Tremery factory in eastern France.

Internal combustion versions are now built in Hordain and Luton, England. The Hordain plant also assembles the Toyota Proace van. Toyota said this summer that an electric version would be launched next year.

PSA is pitching the vans for use in urban e-commerce deliveries. The market for electric vans remains small in Europe, with diesel the dominant powertrain. Analysts predict a significant shift in the mid-2020s, as emissions regulations tighten, and more municipalities restrict diesels in an effort to reduce local particulate pollution.

Xavier Peugeot, the director of PSA Group’s light-commercial vehicle business unit, said in a release that PSA’s entire van lineup will have electric versions by 2021. The group’s largest vans -- the Peugeot Boxer and Citroen Jumper -- are converted to electricity with a Turkish partner. Car-derived vans from Peugeot, Citroen and Opel/Vauxhall will get electric drivetrains in 2021.

The vans are on PSA Group’s EMP2 platform, which was developed to accept either electric or internal combustion powertrains. They will be available with ranges of 200 km, with a 50 kilowatt hour battery; and 300 km, with a 75 kWh battery, under WLTP emissions rules.

Renault is the market leader in electric van sales, with about 46 percent of the market in 2018. The Renault Kangoo ZE was the top-seller last year, with a European volume of about 8,800.