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Six nominees for International Van of the Year Award 2021 COVID-19, the 2021 Award will instead be announced and presented virtually to the winning manufacturer.
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onscious of the unprecedented times for people and businesses around the world during the Coronavirus pandemic, the annual International Van of the Year Awards go ahead in a slightly different format this year. The prestigious International Van of the Year Award is usually presented to the winning manufacturer at one of the two major biennial commercial vehicle shows, IAA Commercial Vehicles Show or Solutrans. However with the IAA exhibition cancelled for 2020 due to
“As the 25 strong jury membership from across Europe and Russia have been unable to travel to launch events during the lockdown period, they have had to rely on the virtual premieres presented by the various manufacturers,” explained Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman, International Van of the Year Jury. “For the adjudication process, members will be attending drive programmes in Central Europe and where possible will also have drive experiences in their home countries. For the fi rst time, the announcement and presentation of the award is going virtual, with the trophy handover taking place on-line in mid-November at the winning brand’s headquarters,” he added.
Interestingly for this year’s competition, only one nominee has what can be called a ‘conventional’ drivetrain, in that the new Maxus DELIVER 9 is diesel powered, whereas the other nominated vans all have electric propulsion. The PSA Groupe has three jointly developed contenders across its brands in the form of the Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën ë-Dispatch (e-Jumpy) and Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro-e models, while Mercedes-Benz Vans has the eSprinter and eVito in contention. Maxus, the Chinese brand from SAIC Motors, has its two newly developed vans, namely the DELIVER 9 and the zero-emission e DELIVER 3, while Fiat Professional has electrified its Ducato, badged the eDucato.
Six contenders across four brands For the 2021 Awards programme, four light commercial vehicle brands have models nominated for the prestigious pan-European title, originally established in 1992.
The Sound of Silence with the new ë-Dispatch from Citroën
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ollowing their unveiling on-line during May of the PSA Groupe’s trio of electric medium sized vans from Peugeot, Citroën and Opel, further additions to their model range (including passenger versions) have been launched. For the Citroën ë-Dispatch, the IM Group, importer for the French brand through Citroën Ireland, has opened its order books in advance of production starting in September. Available in three lengths to suit various business needs, the new ë-Dispatch offers the same advantages as the conventionally powered Dispatch van such as load volumes up to 6.6 m3 and payloads up to 1262 kg. Two operating range distances can be chosen by customers – 240 km (50kW) or 340 km (100 kW) and a smooth, silent driving experience is guaranteed. Within its compact dimensions are three length options – SWB (XS) 450 m long – 50 kW, MWB (M) 4.95 m long – 50 or 75 kW and LWB (XL) – 5.30 m – 75 kW. With an overall height of 1.90 m, the ë-Dispatch fits comfortably in underground car parks. Battery life has an 8 year warranty or 160,000 km. There are FLEETVAN&UTILITY | Autumn 2020
three charging solutions – Home, Private/Industrial or Superfast commercial. As with electric vehicles these days, the ë-Dispatch harvests energy under braking and driving deceleration. Maximum speed from the 136hp unit is governed at 130 km/h in all three drive modes – Eco, Normal and Power. First customer deliveries are expected towards the end of the year, or early 2021, according to Edmond Kelleher, Product Manager, Citroën Ireland. Pricing has not yet been confi rmed but Edmond mentioned that ë-Dispatch will be available in two trim levels – Panel Van and Enterprise and will be specified similar to the diesel Dispatch range.
