Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On April 13, traditional carmakers made a late start in the field of commercial electric vans, providing opportunities for other electric commercial vehicle manufacturers.

Many fleet customers complained that it was difficult for them to get enough electric vans from brands such as Ford, Peugeot, Renault or Mercedes, so they started looking for alternatives.

The promotion speed of traditional car companies in the field of electric vehicles is relatively slow, which gives Tesla a leading position in the field of passenger cars. In the field of commercial trucks, traditional car companies are also facing supply chain challenges.

Packfleet, a UK-end logistics start-up, is using pure electric vans in London to provide distribution services to customers of large, small and medium-sized enterprises, claiming to provide a zero-emission experience. Packfleet's business grew tenfold in 2022, and CEO Tristan Thomas (Tristan Thomas) says most of its 53 vehicles are Maxus trucks. The company plans to double the size of its fleet this year.

When Packfleet first sought to buy pure electric vans at the end of 2021, "most dealers scoffed" because most traditional brand trucks had to wait for a 12-month shelf life.

Until recently, even though Packfleet had acquired more Peugeot, Ford and Citroen electric vans, they had to move quickly to buy them.

"once the truck arrives, the dealer will call us and we must take action immediately." Thomas said. "if we don't act, they will be sold in a few days."

As the fleet shifts to zero-emission vehicles, new brands have the opportunity to seize market share. Maxus has a first-mover advantage at a time when traditional carmakers are trying to make the transition to electrification.

SAIC said it sold about 18000 Maxus in Western Europe and Scandinavia last year, mainly electric cars, including buses and pick-up trucks. The company also said: "We plan to further expand to Central Europe."

Although there is little data on the electric van market, according to statistics provided by the International Clean Transport Committee, Maxus's market share of new electric vans in Europe (including the UK) was about 6% in 2022, selling nearly 5000 electric vans. That's more than Ford, Nissan or Fiat, up 28% from 2021.

Other companies are also looking to grab market share, such as Geely's truck brand Farizon, which plans to start delivering trucks in Europe in 2024.

B-ON acquired the StreetScooter electric van brand from DHL and is increasing production in Germany and the United States. At the same time, General Motors' BrightDrop truck brand is speeding up production in Ontario, Canada.

"there is no magic way to solve this problem," said Tim Albertsen, CEO of ALD, one of the largest car rental companies in Europe. "We can only get manufacturers to keep up as soon as possible. The supply of electric vans will be very tight in the next few years."

Asda, a British supermarket chain, has eight electric vans, seven of which are Maxus models and the other is Ford. Sean Clifton, Asda's fleet manager, has ordered 50 Ford vans and 20 Maxus vans, but he needs to buy more electric vans as Asda plans to electrify its 1300 delivery vans.

Although Clifton wants to buy Mercedes-Benz electric chassis trucks, according to him, the cars were originally scheduled to go on sale in 2022, but will not be delivered until 2024.

A Mercedes-Benz spokesman said the company plans to focus on electric vans for parcel delivery, while electric chassis vans are scheduled to be launched in 2024.

Iveco, an Italian truck, truck and bus maker, is expected to produce thousands of eDAILY electric vans this year, but production is affected by shortages of parts and high raw material costs, according to an Italian truck, van and bus maker.

John Cleworth, director of marketing for Renault commercial vehicles, said there was no difference in delivery delays between traditional Renault vans and electric vans.

Steven Merkert, head of transportation solutions for TE Connectivity, a major supplier to the electric vehicle industry, points out that in addition to the late launch of electric vans, traditional carmakers prioritize mass production of passenger cars over vans when the supply of battery materials is tight.

"Chevrolet Solod, Mercedes EQS, Ford FMI 150 Lightning, these are all about the survival of enterprises, but trucks are not." Merkert said. "if Ford loses the battle of Fmur150 Lightning, Ford will no longer exist. This is reality."

Tim Slatter, Ford's head of the UK, said the company had underestimated demand for E-Transit electric vans and was stepping up production. Slatter said it was difficult to increase the production of all-line electric cars, so Ford will stop selling its "carnival" in Europe this year.

"it's a big challenge and you have to make some tough decisions, or you'll be too distracted." Slatter said.

Last week, Ford launched a new electric minivan, the Courier, designed to win business customers in Europe, which also hit some start-ups.

Some electric car startups, such as Arrival or Canoo, used to have great potential, but they have burned a lot of money and lagged behind their competitors. However, SAIC Maxus, Geely Farizon and GM BrightDrop all have strong financial support.

BrightDrop CEO Travis Katz said expanding production was a "very challenging and expensive" process, but with GM's support, the company was on track to achieve its target of producing 50000 electric vehicles a year by 2025.

After the acquisition of StreetScooter, B-ON retained DHL as an anchor customer. Last year, B-ON produced about 2500 electric vans and accelerated production in Germany and California. CEO Stefan Krausser says the company is raising $100m in working capital and plans to increase its annual production capacity to 60000 electric vans within two to three years, roughly the same as in Europe and the US.

"it's going to be a supply-driven market," Krausser said. "A lot of competitors have the opportunity to gain market share."

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