Volkswagen e-Crafter Preview

Under the skin, the e-Crafter uses the same 35.8kWh battery found in the VW e-Golf. Drive is supplied by a 134bhp electric motor that also has 290Nm of instant torque, while a single-speed gearbox drives the front wheels. The electric system is packed into the existing Crafter chassis, so that means there's no compromise in terms of load volume, at 10.7 cubic metres, and the e-Crafter can carry four Euro pallets, just like the standard Crafter panel van with the same body size. At the moment, the e-Crafter will just be sold with a high roof and standard body length, and the 3.5-tonne version has a payload of 975kg, while the 4.25-tonne variant – a version which standard car licence holders will still be able to drive – can carry a payload of 1.72 tonnes. From the outside, our test model was marked out as the EV variant courtesy of its e-Crafter decals, but other than a few small blue badges, the standard e-Crafter is identical to a top-spec diesel Crafter in appearance. It's the same story in the cab, where the most obvious change is the replacement of the rev counter with the energy flow meter from the e-Golf. The e-Crafter starts with the same chime as the e-Golf, too, while a lack of a sound generator means the van pulls away making no noise at all – slightly unnerving if you're driving it in busy pedestrian areas.