Citroen Relay electric confirmed

The Relay electric van will cover up to 169 miles on a single charge and be available in two bodystyles (L1 and L3) when it reaches the UK in early 2020, Citroen has confirmed. 

The electric Citroen Relay panel van has been designed for urban delivery firms - it'll rival the Volkswagen eCrafter and Mercedes-Benz eSprinter when it arrives in 2020. 

The van will be offered in L1 and L3 bodystyles and be capable of shifting payloads weighing up to 1215kg. Load volumes will range from 8.0 cubic metres for the L1 and rise to 12 cubic metres for the L3 - both vans get a loadwidth of 1870mm. 

Designed in partnership with Turkish van specialist BD Auto, L1 versions will cover 141 miles on a full charge while the larger L3 will cover up to 169 miles. Citroen hasn't released any pricing for the electric Relay, but has confirmed the van's electric motor will produce 96PS and be limited to a top speed of 55mph, to maximise battery performance in towns and cities.

 

The diesel Relay has also been given some important updates for 2019, with new engines, updated trim levels and improved safety tech. 

A new 2.2-litre engine replaces the current 2.0 turbodiesels. The new engines, badged BlueHDi, are available with a six-speed manual gearbox and three power levels: 120PS, 140PS and 165PS. Citroen hasn't released any fuel economy figures for the new 2.2 BlueHDi engines, but confirmed that it will meet the tougher Euro 6.2 emission standards. 

The Relay also comes with a telematics box as standard, for Free2Move Connect Fleet Services, including fuel consumption monitoring, vehicle tracking and maintenance monitoring. A blind spot monitoring system has also been added to the options list and includes rear traffic alert, which detects vehicles up to 50 metres away coming from the left or right when the van is reversing.

Payloads and carrying capacity remain unchanged, which means the Relay provides 8.0 - 17 cubic metres of loadspace. Citroen has added Worker and Driver versions to the range, with each getting equipment that's tailored for construction work or multi drop deliveries.

The popular Enterprise model remains as part of the line-up and includes rear park assist, navigation and a fully height adjustable driver's seat. The new entry-level Relay X gets the basics, with hill-start Assist, 12V power socket and full steel bulkhead.