New (electric?) Work Van for in city work?

A

Alexis

Member
Location
Los Angeles
Hey Everyone!

Well, my Ford Transit transmission decided to give up on me. I have three trucks: Sprinter, Metris, and a 2015 Ford Transit.

We all know how much loss interruptions like car breakdowns inflict. So now I'm in the market for a new van. My dream was to get a good EV work van. We are based in the heart of Los Angeles and usually drive an average of 70 miles a day, with up to 200 miles maximum on occasion.

I was hoping to hear from anyone who has experience using EVs for their business.

I saw some options on the market. The most common is the Ford E-Transit, but it feels like an outdated retrofit, as if they tried to get their feet wet in the market before releasing a proper EV van.

One van I haven't seen or heard much about is the Brightdrop EV. I guess it has been on the market for a while now? I also wonder what insurance would be like for something unusual like that.

If anyone has any experience, advice, or opinions, I'd really appreciate it!
 
Is there any electric vans that can get the kind of miles you mentioned without having to stop to charge with the kind of payload people in this business would likely carry on such a vehicle?

Quick search I'm seeing maybe 200 miles with low roof models, but not sure if they are going by vehicle weight, some sort of estimated weight or by rated capacity weight?
 
I see Ford Transit has a plug in hybrid version -- have you looked at that? My wife's Rav4 Plug In Hybrid is awesome. 50 miles electric and then gas. Almost never on gas and usually then only for a few miles.
 
I know someone, not an electrician, who has a Ford e-transit and he loves it. Of course, he's only driving about 80 miles per day.

But he raves about it enough that I'm really considering it. Right now I have a 2014 Transit connect that I bought back in October because it got me out of a Chevy HHR
 
Alexis said:
Hey Everyone!

Well, my Ford Transit transmission decided to give up on me. I have three trucks: Sprinter, Metris, and a 2015 Ford Transit.

We all know how much loss interruptions like car breakdowns inflict. So now I'm in the market for a new van. My dream was to get a good EV work van. We are based in the heart of Los Angeles and usually drive an average of 70 miles a day, with up to 200 miles maximum on occasion.

I was hoping to hear from anyone who has experience using EVs for their business.

I saw some options on the market. The most common is the Ford E-Transit, but it feels like an outdated retrofit, as if they tried to get their feet wet in the market before releasing a proper EV van.

One van I haven't seen or heard much about is the Brightdrop EV. I guess it has been on the market for a while now? I also wonder what insurance would be like for something unusual like that.

If anyone has any experience, advice, or opinions, I'd really appreciate it!
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I hadn't heard about this one at all. We can only hope it lives up to the hype.
 
Walmart has put in a bunch of money in Canoo a couple of years ago, but haven’t heard about it anymore. I have a friend that is a Wal-Mart executive that ordered one for himself, but haven’t talked to him since I left my previous company, so I don’t know if he ever took delivery.
 
James L said:
I know someone, not an electrician, who has a Ford e-transit and he loves it. Of course, he's only driving about 80 miles per day.

But he raves about it enough that I'm really considering it. Right now I have a 2014 Transit connect that I bought back in October because it got me out of a Chevy HHR
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That seems to be well within the OP's parameters.

If you have secure off-street parking and charging and the economics are otherwise favorable, I'd say go for it.
 
gadfly56 said:
That seems to be well within the OP's parameters.

If you have secure off-street parking and charging and the economics are otherwise favorable, I'd say go for it.
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I was just talking with an electrician buddy of mine and told him I've seen a few that have a really good price..... 4 years old with 30k miles and only about $24,000

Now he wants one 😁
 
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