A
Auto Express
Guest
The all-electric Fiat e-Ducato van is on sale now. It’s the Italian brand’s first zero-emissions commercial vehicle, and it will wade into an increasingly populated marketplace, currently occupied by the Vauxhall Vivaro-e, Mercedes e-Vito and Citroen e-Dispatch.
Prices for the new Fiat e-Ducato start from £47,675 excluding VAT – but that figure includes the Government’s £8,000 plug-in van grant. First deliveries are expected to arrive during the final quarter of this year.
The e-Ducato is powered by an electric motor mounted on the front axle, which serves up 121bhp and 280Nm of torque – or, similar performance to the van’s entry-level 2.0-litre diesel engine. The motor allows the e-Ducato to haul a payload of up to 1,950kg, although Fiat has limited its top speed to just 62mph to maximise the vehicle’s range.
Buyers have their choice of either a 47kWh or 79kWh battery pack, which provide respective maximum ranges of 99 or 192 miles. When plugged into a 50kW DC fast-charger, the smaller battery can be fully recharged in two hours and 25 minutes, while the larger cell will recover the same state of charge in around four hours.
The e-Ducato’s electric powertrain also comes with four drive modes. “Normal” provides a balance between performance and efficiency, “Eco” limits the motor’s output and deactivates the air conditioning system to maximise range, while “Power” mode provides the maximum amount of performance for full-load journeys.
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
Finally, “Turtle Mode” is activated when the van’s battery level is depleted to near empty. The vehicle alerts the driver of the lack of charge and strongly limits the amount of performance and preserve as much battery life as possible.
New 2020 Fiat e-Ducato: trim and equipment
There’s a choice of two trim-levels – standard and eTechnico. The base-model comes with automatic climate control, a USB charging port, a fixed steel cargo partition, electrically heated door mirrors, LED lighting for the load bay and a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity.
Standard safety equipment includes lane departure warning, advanced emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and an electronic stability control. Every model comes with a mode-3 charging cable and, depending on the battery selected, there’s also either a 7kW or 11kW on-board charger.
The eTechnico model adds front fog lamps, LED daytime running lights, electrically folding door mirrors, a rear parking camera, rear parking sensors, a leather steering wheel and a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Buyers also get a few more driver aids, such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection.
Every buyer also gets a 12 month subscription to FCA’s Mopar Connect service. It comes with a smartphone application which can track the position of the vehicle and immobilise the van’s powertrain in the event of a theft, while also giving drivers 24-hour access to the company’s crash assistance service.
New 2020 Fiat e-Ducato: styling and body styles
The e-Ducato looks near-enough identical to the diesel model, and Fiat assures us that it has the same carrying capacity as its combustion-engined cousin, as the battery pack is mounted under the floor and the electric motor occupies the same space as the standard Ducato’s combustion engine. Load volume is identical, too, with between 10 and 17 cubic metres of space on offer, depending on the selected body style.
However, Fiat has updated the e-Ducato’s interior to match its electric powertrain. In place of the standard van’s rev-counter there’s a new charge indicator – and Fiat has tweaked the van’s infotainment system with some unique graphics. There’s also a new control unit mounted to the driver’s A-pillar, which can be used to set the van’s daily charging schedule.
From launch, the e-Ducato will only be available as a panel van, although chassis cab and passenger configurations will be released in the first quarter of 2021. The former option will be available in three lengths and three roof heights, while the latter will offer a choice of four lengths. Meanwhile, the minibus variant will offer seating for up to nine passengers.
Check out our thoughts on Mercedes' all-electric eVito here...
Continue reading...
Prices for the new Fiat e-Ducato start from £47,675 excluding VAT – but that figure includes the Government’s £8,000 plug-in van grant. First deliveries are expected to arrive during the final quarter of this year.
- SEE MORE Best electric vans 2020
The e-Ducato is powered by an electric motor mounted on the front axle, which serves up 121bhp and 280Nm of torque – or, similar performance to the van’s entry-level 2.0-litre diesel engine. The motor allows the e-Ducato to haul a payload of up to 1,950kg, although Fiat has limited its top speed to just 62mph to maximise the vehicle’s range.
Buyers have their choice of either a 47kWh or 79kWh battery pack, which provide respective maximum ranges of 99 or 192 miles. When plugged into a 50kW DC fast-charger, the smaller battery can be fully recharged in two hours and 25 minutes, while the larger cell will recover the same state of charge in around four hours.
The e-Ducato’s electric powertrain also comes with four drive modes. “Normal” provides a balance between performance and efficiency, “Eco” limits the motor’s output and deactivates the air conditioning system to maximise range, while “Power” mode provides the maximum amount of performance for full-load journeys.
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
Finally, “Turtle Mode” is activated when the van’s battery level is depleted to near empty. The vehicle alerts the driver of the lack of charge and strongly limits the amount of performance and preserve as much battery life as possible.
New 2020 Fiat e-Ducato: trim and equipment
There’s a choice of two trim-levels – standard and eTechnico. The base-model comes with automatic climate control, a USB charging port, a fixed steel cargo partition, electrically heated door mirrors, LED lighting for the load bay and a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity.
Standard safety equipment includes lane departure warning, advanced emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and an electronic stability control. Every model comes with a mode-3 charging cable and, depending on the battery selected, there’s also either a 7kW or 11kW on-board charger.
The eTechnico model adds front fog lamps, LED daytime running lights, electrically folding door mirrors, a rear parking camera, rear parking sensors, a leather steering wheel and a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Buyers also get a few more driver aids, such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross path detection.
Every buyer also gets a 12 month subscription to FCA’s Mopar Connect service. It comes with a smartphone application which can track the position of the vehicle and immobilise the van’s powertrain in the event of a theft, while also giving drivers 24-hour access to the company’s crash assistance service.
New 2020 Fiat e-Ducato: styling and body styles
The e-Ducato looks near-enough identical to the diesel model, and Fiat assures us that it has the same carrying capacity as its combustion-engined cousin, as the battery pack is mounted under the floor and the electric motor occupies the same space as the standard Ducato’s combustion engine. Load volume is identical, too, with between 10 and 17 cubic metres of space on offer, depending on the selected body style.
However, Fiat has updated the e-Ducato’s interior to match its electric powertrain. In place of the standard van’s rev-counter there’s a new charge indicator – and Fiat has tweaked the van’s infotainment system with some unique graphics. There’s also a new control unit mounted to the driver’s A-pillar, which can be used to set the van’s daily charging schedule.
From launch, the e-Ducato will only be available as a panel van, although chassis cab and passenger configurations will be released in the first quarter of 2021. The former option will be available in three lengths and three roof heights, while the latter will offer a choice of four lengths. Meanwhile, the minibus variant will offer seating for up to nine passengers.
Check out our thoughts on Mercedes' all-electric eVito here...
Continue reading...