A van can serve two masters
THIS is an odd vehicle. It’s the new Renault Zoe van which, as is clearly obvious from its name, is a van version of Renault’s popular electric hatchback. It’s odd because I’m not sure who it’s aimed at; a question that hopefully might be answered as we examine and then drive the car. Or van, rather.
And here’s the thing: the Zoe van doesn’t look like a van at all. That’s because the only outside difference between it and a normal Zoe hatchback is that the rear windows have been blanked out. It’s only when you lift the tailgate that you see the difference. The rear seats are gone and in their place is a mesh grille that’s there to stop items decapitating those in front.
There’s a flat load area at the back that can hold a cubic metre of clobber. It is 1,205mm in length and 1,100mm in width (but 950mm between the wheel arches)
My “test” load was two stand-up paddle boards in their deflated state. Not that you’d want to put anything too bulky and valuable in the back because the tailgate has plain glass fitted so you can see what’s in there. There is a full-length load cover but when you use this you lose half your load area. An optional blacked-out rear window would be a good idea.
The other slight snag is that the Zoe van has a payload of only 387kg. That compares with 508kg for a Ford Fiesta which sizewise is the Zoe’s only true rival. I can’t see that it’s a major issue as the size of the luggage area is the main factor – unless you’re shifting something like roofing lead. Also, the Ford isn’t electric and here’s where we get to the bit where the Renault starts to make sense.
Once you’ve moved past that wire mesh grille and into the Zoe’s cabin you’re in exactly the same environment as that you’ll find in the regular hatchback.
WHICH means a very un-van like level of equipment such as digital instruments, a central touch screen, air conditioning and cruise control. More importantly, you’re also getting the same electric powertrain as the car which means a 52kwh battery. This gives the Zoe van a range of up to 245 miles which beats not only most other electric vans on sale today but also a lot of luxury EV saloons and SUVS.
That figure is the WLTP measurement but Renault, in a move of great honesty, goes further by saying you’re likely to get about 233 miles in the summer but only about 150 miles in winter.
It would be good if other EV makers were as up front and honest about the real range of their cars, particularly in colder weather.
The Zoe van uses the same R110 electric motor as the hatchback which means a power output of 109bhp. The top speed is 84mph and 0-62mph takes 11.4 seconds and 0-31mph, which is far more relevant, takes 3.9 seconds. Because EVS are quick off the mark thanks to electric motors producing their maximum torque at 0rpm, the Zoe van will feel nippier than equivalent petrol or diesel vans.
Charging the Zoe will take just over nine hours from a wallbox but for really quick charging, from a 50kw public charger, you need to buy a model that can manage rapid charging. They come at a £1,000 premium and have the words Rapid Charging added to the model name.
Which leads us neatly on to the subject of price. Here it gets interesting because the Zoe Van is eligible for the Government’s Plug-in Van Grant which is £6,000. With this sum deducted the price for the
Business spec Zoe van is £19,380 plus VAT, and for the Business+ £20,330 again plus VAT. With £0 VED, no benefit in kind tax for vans and the savings in fuel, the Zoe van starts to look like exceptionally good value. Depreciation will be lower than with a conventional van too.
So who’s going to buy one? I can see local councils snapping them up. The Zoe will also have a place in small businesses that don’t need a large van for their work, such as dog groomers or florists. It will be interesting to see if other manufacturers follow Renault’s lead and remove the rear seats from their hatchbacks to make vans – Vauxhall’s Corsa-e for example.