Electric vans are struggling to gain traction in the light commercial vehicle market; still put off by perceived issues of range and enforced downtime while the vehicles recharge, operators are switching to electric at a far slower rate than Government demands.
While the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate wanted to see 10% of LCV sales by the end of 2024 being electric, the actual figure was 6.3% – no higher than a year earlier.
Perhaps what is needed is an electric van that offers greater practicality both in terms of range and charging, and what it can carry. New to the UK brand Farizon, pronounced Fah-rise-un, believes it has the answer in the SV, a clean-sheet design from a Frenchman based in the brand’s home country of China.
So who or what is Farizon?
Farizon might be a new name to UK buyers but it is a very different story in its home market of China. Farizon is the commercial vehicle arm of automotive giant Geely Group – already a big player on the global market with such well-known brands as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.
Farizon is big in China – the first domestic brand to develop a purely electric drivetrain, it has since applied its technology to a model line-up that stretches from vans right up to heavy lorries, buses and the like. The brand tops every market sector it is in, has seen growth in double digits in each of the last three years and now enjoys a 20% market share.
Again, following the Chinese norm, Farizon is technology heavy. It employs more than 2,000 R&D engineers who have filed more than 2,800 patent applications – many of them in the field of ‘new energy’ vehicles.
Like many Chinese brands, Farizon has been eyeing expansion into Europe with the UK selected as its launch market. To do this it has signed up with Jameel Motors, a distributor formed some 80 years ago and which initially made its name importing Toyota and then Lexus vehicles into Saudi Arabia.
Today, Jameel is established in eight international markets in North Africa, Asia and Europe, distributing some 20 brands. The UK launch of Farizon marks Jameel’s European debut.
When does Farizon launch in the UK?
If you are reading this in the first quarter of 2025, the answer is right now. The brand has just unveiled its SV large van and opened order books, with an April public debut scheduled at the CV show in Birmingham, at around the same time as the first SVs are delivered to their buyers.
What models does Farizon have and what else is coming?
Farizon’s debut launch is the SV, a large electric van available in eight varieties stretching across three capacities, three roof heights and three battery packs.
Chief designer Hervé Bertrand, who has previously created vans for Renault and Volvo, told The Van Expert that he had the chance to start completely afresh with the SV. The result is a lightweight vehicle claimed to offer both load volume and payload figures between 5% and 20% greater than its rivals, with a range of up to 247 miles combined, again well ahead of competitors.
What comes next is yet to be revealed – Farizon has indicated that it is likely to centre on further developments of the SV, such as a chassis cab, but wouldn’t confirm any future models just yet.
Where can I try a Farizon van?
That is a good question as Jameel Motors is in the very early stages of setting up its dealer network. At the SV launch Carney admitted that the company does not have a dealer network outlook yet, adding that in 2025 the number of outlets would likely be in ‘mid single figures’ targeting major city markets, with the eventual number no more than 20.
The brand has, however, signed an agreement with the AA, which will effectively mean Farizon operators have access to mobile technicians as all times, while a major investment in parts is also being made with overnight DHL delivery to ensure any downtime is minimised.
Where makes Farizon different to the rest?
The Farizon SV does differ in major ways to the average van, electric or not. Open the nearside loading door and you will find a lack of a B pillar between cabin and load bay – open the passenger door as well and the loading aperture is huge.
The SV also boasts double wishbone front suspension – popular on handling friendly cars, anything but common on a van, and ‘drive-by-wire’ steering, relying on electric connection between steering wheel and road wheels instead of physical ones. Farizon claims that the SV drives like a car, and on the evidence of our test drive (see here), it’s not an unfounded claim…
An interesting fact about Farizon
The Farizon logo is actually three letters, a T, U and O, merged together. The T stands for technology, the U user-experience, and the O zero emissions.
The SV, by the way, has already been on sale for a year in China, where it is known as the Supervan – a name that the brand could not employ in the UK as Ford jealously guards its range of one-off Supervans…
Summary
While bespoke electric van designs with no legacy from their internal combustion predecessors have featured at recent editions of the CV Show, the Farizon SV is the first significant model to actually go on UK sale. And it is refreshingly different to what has gone before, potentially the most practical EV on the LCV market yet.
The question is, can Farizon establish itself before other completely electric rivals emerge to challenge the SV – not least Korean giant Kia, which will launch its electric van range at the 2025 CV Show…
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