Volkswagen Commercial vehicles teamed up
with ABT to launch its first electric van in the United Kingdom but the numbers
aren’t on its side. Named the eTransporter 6.1, it’s available from £ 42,060
(US$ 50,874) excluding tax, while the better equipped Advanced trim starts at
£ 45,360 (US$ 54,865). The kombi crew van and combi crew van Advanced are available
from £ 46,375 (US$ 56,093) and £ 49,985 (US$ 60,459) respectively.
Positioned underneath the load area, the
battery pack provides a rather disappointing total range of up to 132
km in the WLTP cycle. You won’t be taken by its performance either, far from
it actually, as the lithium-ion battery, which supports AC and DC fast
charging, powers a small electric motor that delivers 108 HP and 200 Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-100 km/h time of
17.4 seconds.
The 2020 eTransporter is equipped with
regenerative braking and a modified dual-clutch DSG transmission. Drivers have
a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system at their disposal, connected to two
USB type-C ports, an SD card slot, Bluetooth, DAB+ radio and four loudspeakers.
The Volkswagen AppConnect is part of the standard gear, allowing passengers to
bring their smartphone apps onto the display.
Selecting the Advanced trim level will
unlock several design, comfort and safety options, such as the 17-inch alloy
wheels (16-inch standard), automatic LED headlights, rain-sensing windscreen
wipers, heated windshield, front and rear parking sensors, auto-dimming
rearview mirror and a few other items.
Finally, the German electric van, which
has a cargo area of 6.7 cubic meters and a 1,001 kg payload, has several driver assistance systems, including the Front Assist with
City Emergency Braking System and Crosswind Assist.
