On 24 Apr 2021 at 14:08, Peri Hartman via EV wrote: > For the same size vehicle, a minivan form is generally more practical. >
Correct. In most industrialized nations other than the US and Canada, the tradesperson's standard vehicle is a van. It keeps the load dry and the worker's tools secure. Several sizes are offered to suit different trades' needs. The Renault Kangoo ZE electric van has been available since 2011 and Nissan introduced the ENV200 van in 2014. The Renault seems to have been the more successful with over 50,000 sold. Both will move to "Mark II" versions in the next couple of years and I think I read that both will actually be built by Renault in France. Neither is offered here in the US and I'll be very surprised if that changes. Pickup trucks require caps or tarps to keep the cargo dry and tool security is a potential problem, which is part of the reason for US's extended cabs. You can add a locked toolbox behind the cab, but then you lose some of the already limited bed space. You almost never see pickup trucks on the road in Europe. In Asia, however, snub-nose pickups such as the Kia Bongo are fairly common as cargo carriers. These vehicles have more bed square area than full-size US pickups but weigh less and use appreciably less fuel. Safety is an issue with them however as you sit pretty much right in the crumple zone. Some of them have been offered as EV versions and conversions over the years but the usual engine is a turbocharged Diesel. I suspect that one reason for the different utility vehicle culture here in North America is our historically cheap fuel. When fuel costs are higher, business tends to use more fuel-efficient vehicles (duh). David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Why do people believe conspiracy theories when there are so many readily available conspiracy facts? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ LIST INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org
