The all-new Vauxhall Combo-e electric van has made its global debut at the CV Show in Birmingham, as Vauxhall announces a pricing structure starting from just over £25,000.
However, it was a hydrogen fuel cell concept that appeared to spark most interest among first-day showgoers, Vauxhall stand staff fielding many questions on the variant of the Vivaro.
The new Combo-e is powered by a 50kWh battery feeding a 100kW (136hp) electric motor and offers up to 171 miles of range between charges. A charge to 80% takes 30 minutes with a 100kWh charger.
In panel-van form, the Combo-e will be available in two lengths with a maximum payload of 800kg and up to 4.4m3 of load space. L1 models have a nearside sliding side-access door while the longer L2 variants have doors on both sides. A crew van version will also be on offer.
L1 versions of the panel van start from £27,600 excluding VAT, the Government plug-in grant dropping this to £25,238.33. L2 variants start at £28,800 (£26,438.33) and the crew van from £30,580 (£28,218.33).
First versions of the Combo-e will be delivered to UK customers later this year. From 2022 it will be built in Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant on Merseyside.
The hydrogen-powered version of the Vivaro-e was displayed in pre-production form and cutaway so that visitors could see its drivetrain. The fuel cell powertrain is totally located within the engine bay with its tanks under the cargo floor, retaining the full loadspace of up to 6.1 cubic metres.
It offers a range of up to 249 miles between refuelling, a process that makes just three minutes in similar form to refuelling a diesel-powered van.
The Vivaro-e Hydrogen will go on sale in left-hand-drive markets at the end of this year and is expected to be available to UK buyers from early 2023 at a price yet to be announced. Vauxhall is speaking to corporate fleets about the van ahead of its UK launch.
