Berlingo EV – a continuing disappointment

I drive a Citroen Berlingo diesel car.

I’ve frequently said if I could get something in a similar format in an EV I would have it like a shot – I like the height and the upright seating position is good for my back.

There has been an EV version of the Berlingo (and similar) since at least 2017; but every time I look into it, it was announced, but not actually produced in any great numbers. Sometimes you see them advertised on eBay. One complication is that (deep breath to explain this) the Berlingo *car* is based on the Berlingo commercial *van* and the initial EV versions were panelled vans; there has been a “crew cab” version advertised for some time, effectively the same as the Berlingo *car*, but still marketed as a van.

Anyway, watching reviews of various EVs on Fully Charged, they mentioned the Renault Kangoo EV Crew. The Renault Kangoo is an almost identical vehicle to the Citroen Berlingo (as is the Peugeot Partner). So if this was actually on the market, I was quite interested.

First thing I found suggested a real world range of 100 miles. Then on Renault’s own site, it said the latest model had a range of 162 miles. Still not good, but given most of my trips were local, I could make sense of it. For the rare long journey, I would have to plan for long breaks.

But then I got to see what kind of charger the car could use. Basically, any charger, home or roadside, it charges at about 20 miles per hour – i.e. 5 hours just to add 100 miles.

A complete non-starter. It’s is clearly designed simply to charge overnight and make local deliveries. And yet the Berlingo car sold thousands, I don’t understand why they are ignoring this market.

One Comment

  1. chris
    May 29, 2020
    Reply

    To recap, a Berlingo clone would be ideal, as would anything the height and cabin shape of a Renault Scenic (which I used to drive).

    Of the modern EVs, I have tried a BMW i3, which would currently be my choice if I needed a new car. I found it comfortable, but this was on a “good back” day, and it was definitely lower than the seating position I am used to.

    The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV looks good to me, but has limited EV miles – I would prefer an EV to a hybrid.

    I’ve yet to sit in a Kia Soul, which looks high, but not as high as I am used to.

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