At Stellantis, for example, electric commercial vehicles are numerous thanks to the various brands of the group such as Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, and Fiat, while Toyota, Renault, and Mercedes also offer interesting alternatives. But even with a plethora of options, are these models selling well?
The market for electric commercial vehicles still lagging behind?
Initially, the numbers may seem impressive as the market started from scratch just two years ago. Between 2022 and 2023, there was an 80% growth in France. According to the AAA Data study, during this period, the number of electric commercial vehicles sold increased from 16,568 to 29,873. However, out of the 379,000 new light commercial vehicles sold in France during this period, this only represents 8%. In comparison, in the passenger vehicle (PV) market, 15% of new cars sold in France are now electric.
Stellantis is, unsurprisingly, the undisputed leader in the segment, with 45% of the electric commercial vehicle market in France. Last year, the group sold 13,439 electric utilities, representing a growth of over 70%. However, in this calculation, Stellantis also includes VU converted PV, which means a Peugeot e-208 Entreprise is also counted. It actually tops the sales list, just ahead of the Citroën ë-Berlingo vans and the Peugeot E-Partner and E-Expert models.
Renault takes second place, with 7,761 newly registered electric utility vehicles in 2023, a 57% increase compared to 2022. The unbeatable Kangoo E-Tech (4,953 registrations) is in first place, followed by the Master E-Tech (696 registrations). Also, note that Renault is launching the fourth generation of its Master this year, in electric form with an announced range of over 400 km and features that could rival the slightly older Stellantis models in design.
Between subsidies and circulation restrictions, motivations abound
Without knowing the growth of the electric PV market, the electric commercial vehicle market is also on the rise and should logically accelerate with the increase in models available from manufacturers.
Low Emission Zones (ZFE) should help accelerate this growth because commercial vehicles are mainly diesel and therefore Crit’Air 2, they will soon be banned in certain city centers, starting with Paris, even though the schedule has been somewhat disrupted in recent months due to political pressures.
Maintaining the €3,000 bonus is also a factor that should motivate some companies to make the switch, especially as the obstacle of range is gradually dissipating, with vehicles capable of traveling over 400 km on a single charge without many problems, and a growing network of charging stations.