Shorn of the need to accommodate internal combustion engines and conventional transmissions, and certain that the march to zero emissions will remain unchecked, light commercial manufacturers are making major changes to the way their products are designed.
Underpinning these changes – quite literally – is the switch to a flat, skateboard-style, platform designed exclusively for battery-electric traction.
South Korea’s Kia is heading briskly down that route with an all-new range of vans under the PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) banner. So is Farizon, the commercial vehicle division of Chinese automotive behemoth Geely, with its SV (the initials stand for Super Van) 3.5-tonner, and so is Renault, with the new Trafic, Goelette and Estafette (pictured below).
A skateboard platform delivers several advantages to operators, explains Matt Hawkins, UK and Ireland manager at Flexis. A JV between Renault Group, Volvo Group and logistics group CMA CGM, Flexis has played a key role in the development of Trafic/Goelette/Estafette – production starts in 2026 – and is marketing close cousins of all three models in its own right.
Unencumbered by legacy diesel technologies, among the plus-points of a Flexis skateboard along with ease of adaptability to a variety of different body styles is a tight turning diameter, he explains. With the electric motor sitting at the back of the vehicle, and without a heavy diesel engine mounted at the front, the front overhang is minimal.
“With Trafic/Goelette/Estafette the turning diameter can be as tight as 10.3m,” he says. That is of significant benefit when making last-mile deliveries in congested urban areas.
A lower loading and unloading height than are often found on existing light commercials of comparable size is another benefit, Hawkins contends; something likely to be applauded by parcel delivery drivers who may be in and out of their vans up to 150 times a day.
The load area’s low rear step height of just 419mm is one of the advantages posited for Kia’s PV5 Cargo (pictured p15, bottom left) by the manufacturer’s UK and Ireland president and chief executive officer, Paul Philpott.
The first model in Kia’s extensive new range destined for the UK – customers should start taking delivery towards the end of this year – it offers a 4.4m3 load cube and a payload capacity of up to 790kg. Other PV5 derivatives will arrive in 2026. “We intend to establish Kia as a volume player in the light commercial market,” Philpott states.
Lower the vehicle’s loading height and you can design a van with enough load area roof clearance to allow a tall driver to walk in without stooping while minimising the risk that the roof will be so high that it will regularly clout overhead obstructions such as car park height barriers.
Opt for the clean sheet of paper that a skateboard gives you and you can create a van that may be up to 300kg lighter than the existing cohort of what are in effect electrified versions of diesel light commercials, Flexis contends. Lightening the vehicle spells a better payload and lower energy consumption.
MARKET FIRST
It is a theme taken up by Farizon, with weight reduction one of the reasons why it has opted for cell-to-pack battery technology in the SV (main image).
This approach integrates the cells directly into the battery pack without dividing them into modules. Benefits include a 4% decrease in weight, a 10% increase in battery capacity, and a 20% improvement in body rigidity, the manufacturer calculates.
Introducing drive-by-wire steering technology has helped cut weight too, it contends, by doing away with cumbersome mechanical connections.
Combined with the extensive use of high-strength steel and aluminium, it makes the vehicle 8% lighter than it might otherwise be, Farizon states. It also delivers a steering response said to be three times faster than the response delivered by a conventional system.
Farizon has used the clean-sheet approach to do something no other van manufacturer has managed to do with right-hand-drive models up until now. It has removed the SV’s nearside B-pillar, creating a huge opening between the passenger door and the sliding cargo area door, making it much easier to load and unload the vehicle.
The first deliveries of SVs to British fleets are imminent.
ELECTRIC UPGRADES
As well as jumping on skateboards, van makers are making extensive improvements to the electrical systems their products feature.
With load cubes of from 5.1m3 to 9.2m3 or more, in a first for Renault the Trafic, the Goelette and the Estafette are being equipped with 800V charging technology with the aim of reducing charging times. Plug them into a DC rapid-charger and the charge in their batteries should rise from 15% to 80% in less than 20 minutes, the manufacturer claims.
Battery range is steadily improving. Opt for the long-range NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery, which customers will be able to specify in the new Trafic and you should be able to travel up to 280 miles before you need to plug it in again, says Renault.
Just as important as any of the foregoing developments, however, is the level of connectivity the new generation of light commercials can achieve, says Hawkins, with what Flexis refers to as SDV (Software Designed Vehicle) architecture. It enables over-the-air software updates and offers features such as predictive maintenance, helping to ensure that key components are changed before they give trouble leading to unexpected downtime.
Another light commercial manufacturer that has embraced the skateboard concept is industry newcomer ELM Mobility.
Established by Prodrive Advanced Technology and Astheimer Design with support from the Advanced Propulsion Centre, it has come up with an L7e-category electric quadricycle under the EVOLV banner designed for last-mile urban delivery work (pictured below).
Complete with a 4m3 cargo body – roomy for a vehicle of its size – which can accommodate two Euro pallets, it weighs 850kg including its batteries. Payload capacity is approximately half a tonne and the loading height is just 300mm, with a 7.8m turning circle.
Top speed is 50mph. Equipped with a 20kWh battery pack it offers a 100-mile range, says ELM founder and product director, Carsten Astheimer. “Our target is to get the battery pack from 20% to 80% of its capacity using a DC fast-charger in 20 to 30 minutes,” he says. “We’ll soon be able to name our manufacturing partner and we‘re aiming at a 2028 production date.”
While the cargo body is roomy, the single-seater cab is a bit snug. Drivers will, though, only be travelling short distances between delivery points and at least they will enjoy better protection from inclement weather than a courier on two wheels.
