Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall to electrify their vans in 2020

The Peugeot Expert, Citroen Dispatch and Vauxhall Vivaro will come in all‑electric versions from 2020. 

The announcement was made by Group PSA, which owns Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall. The electric vans will be sold with a 50 or 75 kilowatt/hour battery, with the latter offering a maximum range of 186 miles.

PSA hasn't released any details in relation to payloads, but it's understood that the electric Expert, Dispatch and Vivaro will match the loadspace of their diesel versions owing to the fact they were originally designed to accommodate electric powertrains.

This means the new PSA electric vans will provide up to 6.6 cubic metres of loadspace, while the largest versions will carry items measuring up to four metres in length. All vans get twin side sliding doors as standard, with space for a Euro pallet to be loaded either side.

All three vans will be built at PSA's Hordain plant in northern France, which means the electric Vivaro will be the only model in the Vivaro range that's not built in the UK. No reason has been given why PSA favoured Hordain for the electric Vivaro over Luton. 

In addition to the panel vans, PSA has pledged to offer electric versions of its van-based MPVs. This means 2020 will see the UK get electric derivatives of the Traveller, SpaceTourer and Vivaro Life. 

PSA has pledged to electrify its entire van and passenger car line-ups from 2021.