New Fully-Electric Vauxhall Combo-e Revealed

In a nutshell:

• First pics of new fully-electric Vauxhall Combo-e van released
• Arrives in showrooms in the Autumn of this year
• Will do battle with the likes of the Renault Kangoo Z.E and incoming Citroen e-Berlingo
• Prices yet to be announced

Vauxhall has revealed the first ever pics of its all-electric new Combo-e van.

And with a range of 171 miles between charges, and a choice of wheelbases available, it could be just the ticket if you’re in the business of lugging loads over long distances.

The Combo-e is a direct rival to the likes of the all-electric Renault Kangoo Z.E and the upcoming Citroen e-Berlingo.

But while the Kangoo Z.E is predominantly a city workhouse with a range of 124 miles in the summer, and 75 miles in winter, the Combo-e will see you racking-up a much greater distance before you have to plug it in again.

Vauxhall claims a range of 171 miles on the WLTP cycle from a single charge - which is up there with a fair few hatchbacks.

It also supports up to 100kW rapid charging - where an 80% charge takes just 30 minutes.

No surprise, then, that Vauxhall is confident that it’s a small van ‘suitable for both city use and longer motorway journeys’.

The Combo-e features a 100kW - equivalent to 136 hp - electric motor and a 50kW battery. With 260Nm of torque on tap that’s good enough for acceleration of 0-60mph in 11.2 seconds, with a controlled maximum speed of 80 mph.

The battery itself is placed under the floor between the front and rear axle, which means that not only is load space left uncompromised, there’s agile handling thanks to a super low centre of gravity.

There are two lengths available - known as ‘L1H1’ and ‘L2H1’.

The L1H1 measures 4.40m long with a 2,785mm wheelbase and has a maximum load length of 3,090mm.

The L2H1, on the other hand, is 4.75m long with a wheelbase of 2,975mm, giving it a load volume of 4.4m3 and a load length of 3,440mm.

The longer of those two has a payload of up to 800kg, a total load volume of 3.8m3, and is also capable of carrying two Euro pallets in a row.

And the Combo-e is also rated to tow up to 750kg.

Away from the stats, the Combo-e should also be a nice place to spend time. They all come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, while there’s also an eight-inch touchscreen with Multimedia Navi Pro and Multimedia Radio available, depending on which trim level you go for.

Again, should you choose the right spec, there’s driver assistance galore - including drowsiness alert, traffic sign recognition and recommendation, forward collision alert with pedestrian protection and automatic emergency braking.

A Vauxhall spokesperson adds: “Also available is Surround Rear Vision – a 180-degree rear camera that helps drivers when reversing and protects cyclists and other vulnerable road users when turning left by alerting the driver.

“The Combo-e also features an innovative Overload Indicator that alerts drivers when the vehicle load is near the maximum payload capacity, and warns them when exceeded.”

What perhaps makes the Vauxhall Combo-e even more tempting is the fact that Volkswagen will not be offering its latest Caddy van as a fully-electric variant here in the UK - meaning more business and personal lease customers will be casting admiring glances in the Combo-e’s direction.

It arrives in showrooms this autumn, while a fully-electric variant of the Vauxhall Movano – the Movano-e will also arrive later this year.

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