Seriously, they are far too expensive, it’s going to be a long while before electric vans are:
A: useable for longer trips
B: cheaper to buy
C: carry the same weight as diesel models
Can’t see all those areas being perfected anytime soon. I’m guessing the new custom will have a 1 tonne payload, but then actually carrying that 1 tonne, the range probably won’t be 30 miles as advertised...
We will see!
A. John Goodenough (the inventor of the lithium-ion battery) has created a solid Li-ion battery that a. Charges as fast as you can get electricity into it, b. Holds twice as much charge per volume and weight as current batteries, c. Holds more charge the more times you use it, d. is cheaper than current technology. That'll fix the range, as they'll go further and you'll be able to charge in a similar time to filling up with diesel.
B. EV is still niche. Once real mass-production and R&D into new technologies gets cracking the price will plummet. The tech above will better than halve battery costs, for a start.
C. The weight saving of this technology will ease the weight problem. There's also a government proposal to increase the 3.5 tonne driving limit to 4.25 tonnes if the vehicle's electric.
I can't wait. Something that runs for 4p a mile and has an engine with one moving part is right up my street. "Green" is also a good selling point for customers.
Vin