Renault, VW, Ford electric vans take stage at Hanover IAA

Renault is launching a full-electric version of its midsize Trafic van, giving the company a full range of electric vans to match its competitor Stellantis.

The Trafic will have a 52-kilowatt-hour battery with a range of 240 km (150 miles). A 90-kilowatt electric motor allows a payload of 1.1 tons and a towing capacity of 750 kg. Renault will show the Trafic Van E-Tech Electric at the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, which opens to the public on Tuesday.

It joins the compact Kangoo and large Master, which have had battery-electric versions since 2010 and 2017, respectively, in Renault’s commercial van lineup.

Renault did not release detailed specifications or pricing for the electric Trafic. Medium-size electric vans from Stellantis brands Citroen, Fiat, Opel and Peugeot have two battery sizes – a 50 kWh with a range of 230 km and a 75 kWh with a range of 330 km.

Stellantis electric vans are also available in passenger versions. Renault did not say if the Trafic’s passenger version, known as the Combi, would have an electric variant.

The Trafic Van E-Tech Electric is one of a number of electric vans that will make their public debut at the Hanover show, which was last held in 2018. 

Ford will be displaying the E-Transit Custom medium van, revealed earlier this month, with a range of 380 km from a 74 kWh battery pack. The E-Transit Custom is available with 100 kw of 160 kw electric motors, with the latter giving a towing capacity of up to 2,000 kg, Ford said in announcing the E-Transit Custom.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is showing the ID Buzz Cargo, a panel-van version of the retro-themed EV.

Carsten Intra, the CEO of VW Commercial Vehicles, said Monday that the ID Buzz was an important model in the transformation to electrification in the sector, which continues to rely on diesel powertrains. “More than 55 percent of all VW commercial vehicle sales will be full-electric by 2030,” Intra said at a news conference in Hanover. 

According to a report this month from advocacy group ICCT, battery-electric vans accounted for about 4 percent of all commercial van sales in Europe in the first half of 2022. Stellantis had the highest penetration, at 5 percent of sales. 

The Cargo version has a range of 425 km with a 77 kWh battery. Pre-orders started in May, with the first deliveries set for this autumn, VW said. 

VW is also showing the new-generation Amarok one-ton pickup, a sibling model to the Ford Ranger. The Amarok was developed with Ford as part of a strategic partnership between the two automakers. It will launch toward the end of the year in selected countries.

Maxus, a brand of China’s SAIC, is showing the full-electric Mifa 9 minivan, with a 90 kWh battery, a range of up to 520 km and a 180 kw motor. It is the first car on Maxus’ Mifa EV-only architecture.

Hydrogen vans area also having a moment at Hanover. Iveco – now fully independent from Italy’s CNH -- showed a prototype of the eDaily large van, developed with Hyundai as part of a partnership. The van will have a 140-kw electric motor a range of 350 km and a payload of three tons. 

Hyvia, Renault Group’s new hydrogen joint venture with U.S. company Plug, showed fuel-cell versions of the Renault Master van, including a panel van, a passenger bus and chassis-cab.