Vauxhall Vivaro-e available to order in UK

pplying the government’s PiVG will lower the price to £27,723 (excl. VAT) from £34,390 for Vauxhall’s fully electric Vivaro-e. The range offered in Britain includes two trim levels (Dynamic and Elite), two lengths (L1H1 and L2H1) and two bodies (van and double cab). The most expensive trim comes down to an on-the-road price of £39,811.66, which includes the delivery charge of £583.33 and new vehicle first registration fee of £55.00. Vehicle excise duty is nil.

Each trim also features an option of two battery sizes, 50kWh and 75kWh. The 50kWh battery offers 144 miles of range (with half-payload), with the 75kWh battery version Vauxhall claims up to 205 miles between charges. The maximum payload is up to 1,275 kilograms, slightly less than the diesel version – after all, the large battery weighs up to 500 kilograms. Because of the low centre of gravity, however, the battery should improve the handling of the vehicle. According to Vauxhall, the Vivaro-e is the only battery-electric van in its segment that can be ordered ex-works with a trailer hitch and can pull trailer loads of up to 1,000 kilograms.

Both power packs have 100Kw charging capability as standard, so rapid charging of the 50kW battery from 0-80% takes about half an hour. The Vivaro-e has a CCS connection above the front wheel on the right side.

The pricing announcement is just the last bit in the Vivaro-e launch. Vauxhall had previously offered the spec as reported and also found a major customer in Britain. British Gas is expecting 1,000 Vivaro-e and Vauxhall says, this is the largest commercial order for electric vehicles in the UK to date. British Gas and Opel have not revealed which versions of the electric vans they will use for British Gas engineers to cover services nationwide.