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VANS

19th November 1998
Page 46
Page 47
Page 46, 19th November 1998 — VANS
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IMPRESSIONS

BERING() ECTRIQUE

Price as tested: £9,120 (ex-VAT).

Engine: 162V DC electric motor, 38hp (28kW). GVW: 1,950kg.

Claimed payload: 425kg (with 75kg driver).

When the Citroen Berlingo and the identical Peugeot Partner were still on the drawing board, the designers had electric power in mind from the start. Now, after a lengthy development phase in France, Citroen has added the Berlingo Electrique 500E to its price list at £300 less than the cheapest diesel version.

Although officially only available to special order, Citroen is maintaining a stock in the UK, with non-stock vehicles taking six weeks to supply. Payload of the van is reduced to a nominal 500kg, 100kg less than the smallest diesel, but the 3.0m3 load space is unaffected.

The specification is fairly basic, mainly to help the load on the electric& but still includes radio/cassette, power steering, heater and folding passenger seat. Options include a full bulkhead and rear roof flap.

• TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION The heart of the Berlingo Electrique is the 360kg array of 27 SAFT nickel-cadmium batteries, arranged in three separate underfloor trays. Under the bonnet is an air-cooled Leroy Somer SA18 162V DC motor, driving standard Berlingo drive shafts through a 7.18:1 epicyclic gear train. Mounted above the motor is the water-cooled electronic control box, which manages all of the drive, charging and circuit protection functions, as well as maintaining the charge in the 12V battery which supplies the conventional automotive systems.

Inhibitors prevent the motor being energised with a gear selected, and also stop reverse being selected at more than 3.5km/h. If an overload is detected, such as engaging drive with the van against a solid obstruction, the motor will be disengaged automatically.

Power steering and servo braking assistance are provided by conventional means, but powered by 12V motors, while heating conies courtesy of an independent Webasto petrol-fuelled unit. The interior of the van is quite normal, with a P-R-N-D transmission quadrant mounted between the seats.

The instrument panel comprises a speedometer, clock, econometer—effectively an ammeter marked with green, amber and red zones—and a 0100% energy gauge, which displays the battery capacity remaining. 'Extra warning lights indicate gear selection and charging status.

The normal overnight charge is carried out by connecting one end of the supplied cable to a socket under a flap on the right front wing, closing the tamperproof flap and plugging the other end into a standard 230V, 13A socket. With the supply turned on, the hazard lights flash to confirm that charging has started, and the whole thing can be left to its own devices, turning off the charge when complete, after about nine hours for totally flat batteries. A fast charge facility can be used, which adds 2km of range each minute. The electronics work out what type of charge is being applied and control the flow accordingly Maintenance to the electrical equipment consists of an inspection and electrolyte level check every 6,000 miles.

• DRIVING IMPRESSIONS Driving the Berlingo Electrique is simplicity itself. A conventional ignition key is first turned to the on position to activate the usual accessory circuits, and then turned to the next spring-loaded position to energise the motor. Moving off is then just a matter of engaging either D or R in the same way as almost any automatic vehicle, and depressing the accelerator pedal.

Movement is initially accompanied by an almost total silence from the van, only to rise slightly as tyre and road noise builds up. Mechanical noise is limited to a distant whirring from the power steering and servo motors. Anyone expecting the screaming motors and clanking relays of a milk float will be disappointed.

Initial acceleration from the 180Nm (13311aft) available from 01,55Orpm is strong, allowing the Berlingo to match the pace of town traffic with little effort. Citroen claims a 0-30mph time of 8,4sec. However, beyond around 17mph (gearing being near enough exactly lOmph per 1,000rpm), the torque curve takes an almost straight line down to 25Nm (18.5lbft) at the 6,500rpm maximum, dropping below the 10Nm (811bft) of the diesel at around 30mph.

As a result, as the van approaches maximum speed, the amount of torque available in reserve is marginal. But that's almost irrelevant to the Berlines purpose; although it will cruise at 62mph on reasonably flat roads, nobody's going to buy it as an inter-city mile-eater. In its element though, in and around town, it will hold its own with most things.

Apart from the silence, the Berlingo Electrique drives much the same as its oil-burning stablemate, the other major difference coming when the accelerator is released and the regenerative system activates. Regenerative braking, three times as powerful as the diesel's engine braking, uses the van's inertia on the overrun to restore some charge into the battery. Besides improving the van's range on a charge, this feature should also extend the ser vice brake life considerably if used to its full potential.

The all-important question of range, which is claimed to be approximately 60 miles, will be a critical factor for potential operators. Our all-toobrief spell with the Citnien left us with the impression that, although 60 miles is certainly possible, conditions would need to be quite favourable. We reckon that a range nearer to 50 miles is more realistic in most circumstances, but there must be many urban operators who do less than that figure in one go.

• THE BOTTOM LINE The costs add up quite simply. Beyond the purchase cost, there is the cost of leasing the batteries at £74 per month (exVAT), the occasional gallon of petrol for the heater and a road tax disc at /AO. The

overnight slow charge, using cheap rate power, should cost less than £1. Apart from the optional fast charge top-up between deliveries, that's about it

A diesel Berlingo doing around 100 town miles per day will cost around £250 per month for fuel at VAT-inclusive pump prices. A Berlingo Electrique doing the same work will cost about £135. If you're an urban van user with a limited range, return-to-base operation, form a queue at your local Citroen dealer.

I I by Colin Barnett ENGINE 1 62V DC electric motor. Maximum net power: 38hp {28kW) at 1,5505,50Orpm.

Maximum net torque: 1 80Nm (1331bft) at 01 ,55Orpm.

TRANSMISSION Single ratio epicyclic reduction gearbox.

WEIGHTS Load volume: 3.0m3. Axle design weights: 1,060k0 front, 1,080kg rear. SUTTON SPEARHEADS CHARGE

• CM's local council, the London Borough of Sutton, is at the forefront of encouraging alter native fuel use. As well as operating a number of gas and electric-powered vehicles, it was the first local authority in the UK to provide public vehicle charging points.

We used the point in the town's Gibson Road car park to charge the Berlingo Electrique. Other than the standard parking charges, use of the facility is free. Three bays are currently avail able, but other spaces will be introduced as demand increases.

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Locations: London Borough

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