The Peugeot e-Boxer proves that it is perfectly possible to replace the diesel engine with an electric one in an older delivery van. But in this case it does come with some limitations.
Like other large delivery vans, the e-Boxer is an excellent tool for the city. Those who are used to the diesel will enjoy the serene tranquility from the engine room and the fact that switching is now finally a thing of the past. The point is that the advantages of the electric Boxer over the diesel – apart from the cost – pretty much end there. For example, the e-Boxer has a transmission that can be operated with push buttons. Well thought out, but those buttons require above-average attention. Pressed too briefly, or not with a completely stationary car, and the function refuses. Very difficult in the dark, because the buttons only light up after you press them. In addition, a P-position is missing, so that you are obliged to use the handbrake placed to the left of the driver’s seat every time you leave the car. A pity about that extra action, which a parcel deliverer soon has to deal with 150 to 200 times a day. Anyway, that is also the case with a manual transmission – so there is no profit in this. Air conditioning is standard; You get heat via a separately switchable electric heater, which even in mild autumn weather takes a very long time to make the cabin comfortable.
scanty
The information provided on board is scant. You look at a set of instruments of which only the speedometer still has a needle, the rest consists of three empty clocks. For the battery status, you have to stare at a display in the interior mirror, which is limited to the filling degree of the battery pack and the calculated range. The latter is mentioned so small that your eyes cannot follow it on a bumpy road (despite the suspension seat!). During the ride, there are current indications of volts and amperes, which you can do nothing with as an unsuspecting driver. Nowhere is a consumption in kWh/100 km, as is usual in EVs. And if you put the car on the charger, it only tells you how long it will take to get to 100 percent, not what the range is at that moment and therefore whether you have already charged enough to get home. The test consumption is also a question mark, since the normal charging stations do not provide information about the amount of energy supplied. A visit to FastNed, with a display, twice led to an aborted charging session due to an ‘incompatible car’. What is certain is that the range of the test car with 100 percent full batteries was exactly 200 kilometers and that is a distance that it also achieves, at least with various use in the city and on country roads and highways.
jerky
As far as driving is concerned, there are unfortunately still some things to note. For example, at constant speeds, the car constantly makes a jerky movement, as if the engine is tilting in its supports. It’s always just ‘gas on and off gas’ and that makes driving restless. Verification of this problem with the importer showed that another e-Boxer also showed this behavior, so it is part of it; the importer attributes this to the retrofitting of the EV technology. Furthermore, the performance (90 kW/122 hp and 260 Nm) is at a modest level. In the city you come along just fine, but merging on the highway is quite a task for the large (and in our case empty) Peugeot. In practice 90 km/h is the cruising speed, so you have a bit of margin to get to the top of 100 km/h if the traffic demands it. It is hobbling along with the trucks.
Nevertheless, we close this story on a positive note, because it is good that Peugeot supplies the e-Boxer in a wide variety of versions, something you cannot say about the Volkswagen e-Crafter and Mercedes eSprinter. The panel van is available in five sizes (L1H1 to L4H3, volumes from 8 to 17 cubic meters) and there are also the Chassis Cabine and Plancher Cabine for a body of your choice. Note that the L1 and L2 have a battery pack of 37 kWh and the L3 and L4 of 70 kWh, with stated ranges of 200 and 340 km. With an average of 1,250 kg, the payload is quite usable. The prices vary from €57,990 to €68,380 and that is a bit disappointing; the aforementioned VW and Mercedes offer more space for 54 to 56 mille, and above all modern technology specifically developed for those models and a ditto set of instruments. The e-Boxer will not get it as a gift, that much is clear.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl