VW hands over first e-Transporters to customers
VW Commercial Vehicles kicked off deliveries of the new VW Transporter across Europe – including its passenger car variant, the Caravelle – to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the legendary Type 2 or ‘Bulli,’ as German fans call it. For the first time, customers can also choose a purely electric drive variant: The new VW e-Transporter has been available to order in Germany since mid-January as a panel van, station wagon, and dropside. Both vehicles are available in the PanAmericana variant.
VWCV officially presented the seventh generation of the Transporter at the IAA Transportation. The new generation is no longer an in-house development by the manufacturer from Hanover but a cooperation with Ford Pro: the electric transporter shares the platform with the Ford e-Transit Custom and, like the latter, is produced in Kocaeli, Turkey.
The rear-wheel drive electric van can be configured in four power levels with 85, 100, 160 and 210 kW (the 85 kW option is not available for the e-Caravelle). The battery always has a net energy content of 64 kWh. VWCV specifies a payload of up to one tonne (1,023 kg) and a towing capacity of 2.3 tonnes (braked) or 750 kilograms (unbraked).
The new Transporter is 5.05 metres long (+14.6 cm compared to its predecessor, the T6.1), 2.03 metres wide (+12.8 cm) and has a wheelbase of 3.10 metres (+9.7 cm). A 40-centimetre longer wheelbase will also be available as an option, extending the exterior length to 5.45 metres. The maximum width between the wheel arches increases by 14.8 centimetres to 1.39 metres, while the length of the load compartment floor is 2.60 metres (+6.1 cm). With the extended wheelbase, this is also 40 centimetres longer, i.e. a full three metres. The largest stowage volume of the versions with a standard wheelbase is 5.8 cubic metres. With a long wheelbase and high roof, the volume increases to up to 9.0 cubic metres.
Further details – including the interior – were already covered in an earlier article when we first introduced the new Bulli. The cheapest electric version is the panel van, which is available from 54,993 euros gross. For commercial customers, the net price is 46,213 euros. The e-Transporter Combi starts from €52,705 net/€62,718.95 gross, while the e-Transporter with crew cab costs at least €52,208 net/€62,127.52 gross. The e-Caravelle, which is aimed at private customers, is available from €66,021 gross – or €55,480 net for the sake of completeness.
These base prices (except for the e-Caravelle) apply to the 85 kW version. The e-Transporter with 100 kW starts at 59,310 euros gross or 49,840 euros net. The short version with a wheelbase of 3.10 metres has a WLTP range of up to 357 kilometres, while the other two power levels are listed in the configurator with a maximum of 321 kilometres. With the longer wheelbase of 3.50 metres, the 100 kW version still has a standard range of 353 kilometres.
0 Comments