‘Tis spreading!

I don’t know the makes but my local Royal Mail fleet includes electric vans.

Someone living not far from me has an EV equivalent of the VW “Transporter” apparently as a private car.

I’m not sure what that web-site is trying to convey though with its images changing at <1 second intervals.

Quite a few Amazon electric vans running round here

We have the French La Poste using a mix of the Renault Kangoo ZE electric van and it’s 1.5dci diesel version.

The electric version was introduced around here with a publicity fanfare as usual, but usage seems to have faded out a bit since.

I asked our post lady why and she said they run out of charge before her rural round is finished and have to be returned to the local depot to be charged, whereas the diesels just get parked behind the town post office for the next day’s work. They use the electric ones just for the urban routes now.

The Amazon, DHL, GLS and UPS contractors all use diesel vans because of their range from their depots.

But the Transit I hired in 2022 was superb … it drove like a decent car.

I have no idea what the electric ones are like, and at upwards of £46k + VAT … I am never  likely to be interested.

MichaelG.

Vic’s vehicle may have had the wrong axle ratio.  It seems to be geared about 10 mph / 1000 rpm, unless someone had screwed down the maximum speed screw on the pump.

The 4.99, 4.107 and 4.108s were all capable of a 4,000 rpm rated speed, with up 4,400 rpm max no load speed.

The Transits that i used as Technical Assistant were capable of 60, although that was an illegal speed for a van. The early ones with worm and wheel steering boxes could be interesting if wear developed and not taken out!

Maybe why Vic’s had been despeeded

They were very popular among taxi drivers, who wouldn’t want a slow vehicle.

Howard

Whilst in North Wales last year I was talking to a self-employed delivery driver who said he worked for one of the large couriers and that he was packing in it because the extensive 20mph limits meant that he couldn’t make enough to pay for the high repayments on the van , let alone make a living .