You don’t need to be told how much petrol and diesel prices have risen so far this year, with the economy heading for recession and inflation like we haven’t seen for 40 years. Even with rising electricity prices there are still many good reasons to think seriously about electric vans, if you can find one to buy.
One of the arguments against has been the cost of buying or leasing an electric van, so finding one with an on-the-road price of £20,999 is potentially appealing. It’s from DFSK, a Chinese brand that has been on sale here previously, now with a new importer, Innovation Automotive. The van itself, the EC35, is new to the UK market. It’s of a size that doesn’t readily fit into our usual van categories. Although it’s relatively compact, it offers a payload that is competitive with vans such as the Citroën ë-Berlingo/Peugeot e-Partner and their Stellantis stablemates, the Vauxhall Combo-e, new Fiat Doblo as well as Toyota Proace City electric. That is the principal competition until the new Renault Kangoo and Mercedes-Benz Citan electric models arrive, as well as the electric variant of the Ford Transit Connect and the Volkswagen ID. Buzz Cargo.
The hydrogen fuel cell has been under development for many years by vehicle manufacturers – it’s one of those technologies that has seemed to be permanently 20 years away. I first saw a hydrogen fuel-cell prototype van – a Mercedes-Benz MB100 in the mid 1990s. The fuel cell took up the entire load space of the van at the time. I drove a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle for the first time around 20 years ago.
Compared with its rivals, it’s a matter of, “You get what you pay for”. You won’t find a button to boost regenerative braking – that’s triggered when you press the brake pedal. There are no tie-down eyes in the load area. It is noisy compared with its rivals, particularly at low speeds when the automatic low-speed EV warning sound is generated. The noise echoes around the van and only starts to fade after 20mph, finally disappearing as you approach 30mph. If you drive in town traffic all day, it could get a bit wearing. The steering column stalks hark back to some older Japanese and Korean models, with indicators on the right and wipers on the left. Storage space in the cabin is a bit limited. There are narrow door pockets, a glovebox and little else besides. There are two good cup holders though.
Its quirks include a rev counter – a hangover from the petrol engine model that works, but doesn’t mean anything. There’s a left footrest in the passenger footwell, but not on the driver’s side. On the plus side, there’s a touchscreen Grundig audio system, which includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with the connector in the glovebox.
