Volkswagen’s first all-electric van is now on sale in the UK, bringing an 82-mile range and 6.7m3 cargo area.
Available as a panel van and kombi crew van, the ABT eTransporter 6.1 is priced at £42,060 (exc. VAT) for the panel van variant – falling to £34,060 with the Plug-in Van Grant included.
As announced in May, it’s particularly targeted at urban fleets, which will especially benefit from its unrestricted access to the London Ultra Low Emission Zone and the UK’s forthcoming Clean Air Zones. But its road tax exemption and low running costs will potentially bring benefits to all operators.
It’s been developed in partnership with ABT e-Line – an EV-focused subsidiary of German motor racing and tuning firm ABT Sportsline – and delivers a maximum power output of 110hp from the lightweight electric motor, with a 0-62mph time of 17.4 seconds.
The compact battery is fitted underneath the load area, enabling it to still offer a cargo area of 6.7m3 and payload of up to 996kg.
The ABT eTransporter 6.1 is also fitted with regenerative braking, switching the drive motor to generator operation to recover energy lost when braking. It also features a modified dual clutch transmission, combining a conventional DSG with the requirements of an electric drive to bring sufficient power for any driving situation. When Drive (‘D’) is selected, the motor will deliver 75% power to maximise range, with the kickdown function on the gear shift providing 100% power and torque, maximising performance.
It comes with a Combined Charging System (CCS) socket that enables it to charge via DC charging at up to 50kW, bringing an 80% charge within about 45 minutes. It can also be support AC charging up to 7.2kW using the Type 2 AC charging cable supplied as standard. Using a wallbox in this way will charge the lithium-ion battery in approximately five and a half hours.
Onboard standard equipment includes a DAB+ radio system with 6.5-inch touchscreen and four loudspeakers, SD card slot, Bluetooth handsfree and two USB interfaces (type-C) in the dashboard. Volkswagen AppConnect, which allows you to bring smartphone apps onto your infotainment system’s touchscreen and includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is also standard. Driver assistance systems include Front Assist with City Emergency Braking System, rear parking sensors and Crosswind Assist.
Pricing for the ABT eTransporter 6.1 Panel van starts from £42,060 (exc. VAT) with the Advance trim from £45,360 (exc. VAT). The kombi crew van and kombi crew van Advance are priced from £46,375 (exc. VAT) and £49,985 (exc. VAT), respectively.*
The Advance trim (priced £45,360 exc. VAT and PiVG) adds 17-inch alloy wheels, electrically foldable door mirrors, automatic LED headlights, rain sensing windscreen wipers, heated windshield, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and front and rear parking sensors.
Finance packages have also been announced with customers able to secure zero per cent APR on hire purchase (HP), with a minimum 40% deposit. For businesses, the ABT eTransporter 6.1 Panel van is available on contract hire from £415 per month.
