
eCitan
Believe it or not, the average daily mileage covered by a delivery van in the UK is less than 80 miles. That’s especially important for the likes of Mercedes-Benz because they’re in the process of electrifying their very popular commercial range and it’s highly likely that the first question potential customers ask is going to relate to range between charges. Then they’ll ask about the price.
This is the eCitan – it probably goes without saying it’s the electrified version of Mercedes’ dinkiest delivery vehicle; the Citan. It shares a platform with both Renault’s Kangoo E-Tech & Nissan’s electric Townstar, thus keeping development costs down. The same applies to the 122bhp electric motor they share that drives the front wheels. Where both the Renault and the Nissan are available in multiple wheelbase sizes and interior layouts, however, the Mercedes is currently limited to a SWB chassis (L1) and it’s panel van only, although a LWB (L2) is apparently arriving soon.
What’s the eCitan’s carrying capacity?
Because it’s currently SWB only, the eCitan has a maximum carrying capacity of 3.62m3, the same as the diesel Citan. Unfortunately max payload drops from 657kg to 425kg in the electric version.
What’s the eCitan’s range?
Now back to that question of range because, let’s face it, it’s what you’re wondering. The eCitan has a claimed range of 175 miles. After a full charge the display was showing a potential range of between 122 and 156 miles on our test van and even with the air-con set to a standard 20.5 celsius and the heated seats & steering wheel used sparingly, we were achieving somewhere towards the higher claim on an average British winter’s day.
When it comes down to charging the eCitan it supports up to 22kW AC which is the quickest of all electric Mercedes vans and allows 0-100% charging in 2hrs 30mins. DC charging is up to 75kW and to get up to 80% will take 38 minutes. Setting the eCitan to automatically cease charging at 80% or any other desired level isn’t an option, though.
Visually it’s nigh-on impossible to tell the eCitan from the internal combustion version it’s based on. The fuel filler flap is even still there, albeit it’s now redundant. Maybe it should have been removed but that would have meant fashioning a new panel and therefore incurring increased costs.
How much does the eCitan cost?
Speaking of cost, the eCitan starts from £40,794 incl VAT for the Progressive spec van. The equivalent diesel Citan costs from £25,572 so that’s quite a premium. The cheapest electric Kangoo with the same chassis and power unit is priced at £37,075 so what’s the difference? Well, apart from the Mercedes front end, obviously, which may be more your cup of tea than the Renault one, the interior in the eCitan has a far more premium feel about it. There’s still plenty of wipe-clean plastics, this is a van after all, but heated seats come as standard and the entire dashboard looks and feels high quality.
That’s not to say everything’s rosy, though. Our Premium spec eCitan (£43,164) came with a heated steering wheel (£168 option) and heated windscreen which is also standard on the Progressive spec. All good? Well, yes, except the buttons that control them are positioned right down by the driver’s off-side knee, in a place that to access would require the driver to take their eyes off the road for too long.
Two modes, three battery recuperations
The driving experience in the eCitan isn’t what you’d exactly call engaging, but then is it in any small van? The two drive modes provided are Comfort and Eco. We left it in Eco for 95% of our time with the eCitan because, well it just seems logical and the negative effect it has on performance seems negligible. There are also three recuperation settings that sound awfully like my A-Level results; D, D+ & D-. D speaks for itself, D+ allows more coasting and D- amplifies the battery regen, slowing you down in the process.
It’s more comfortable than you might expect, though, and it’s nicely cosseted from wind noise. Those Mercedes touches do make the whole experience less industrial feeling and the cupholders will thankfully swallow a far more substantial brew than big brother Vito’s frankly pathetic efforts. The rest of the cabin’s storage is acceptable but quite what the dash-top is about is anyone’s guess as items in it are only reachable if you accelerate violently and they come to you.
Should I buy an eCitan?
Electric vans are going to become more commonplace, especially as the need for long range journeys isn’t such a drawback. They still don’t come cheap, though, and this eCitan sits right atop the price tree so potential fuel savings could take longer to accrue.
By Ben Harrington
The Mercedes-Benz eCitan is available now, priced from £33,995 + VAT. For full details go to: www.mercedes-benz.co.uk
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