MOTORING APRIL: Mercedes eCitan Premium

In the summer of 2023 TNU featured a road test of the Mercedes Citan. However, this time we have got the electric counterpart to have a look at.  Is electric vehicle (EV) ownership something to consider?

The consensus on electric cars is overwhelmingly negative. It seems that no matter what circle you are in, someone will have something bad to say. This negativity spreads like wildfire. However, what many don't consider is that the electric car is not always to blame, electric cars are pretty good! Take this eCitan. A worker's tool with twin digital displays, heated seats, cruise and dual-zone climate control. You get a premium and functional workstation that you could happily use as your everyday vehicle.

The issue then is not the concept of the electric car, it is the infrastructure that surrounds them. I am sure that you love your current petrol or diesel car. Why is that? Well mainly because after you have driven a few hundred miles, you can obtain another few hundred miles in a couple of moments. Easy, right? Therefore, you wouldn't get on with your current car so much if you could only drive around 100 miles, and then must wait a couple of hours to gain another unimpressive range.

Here, we have got a van with a 90kW electric motor, sending 120bhp and 245Nm of torque to the front wheels. Instantly.

Keeping all this electricity maintained is a 45kWh battery pack. This is supposedly good for a combined range of 176 miles. That is not true. This van came with just short of 100% charge and had an estimated range of 112 miles. Furthermore, this is subject to change. Testing the eCitan in West Yorkshire, there are plenty of steep hills. So, if you have to drive up an incline for more than a few yards, the range rapidly reduces. Although, on the way down a slope, you can benefit from three levels of regenerative braking while you coast downwards. This benefits your overall charge. Prolonged periods on the motorway is also detrimental to your range. Short local trips are where the eCitan shines.  

For £35,970 this Renault Kangoo derived Mercedes is rather expensive. Considering that a regular Citan is c£21,000, why would you bother? For traders, workers, and delivery drivers there are some benefits to consider when buying this vehicle.

Of course, being a Mercedes you are not short of options: High-performance LED headlights, reversing camera, hill start assist, metallic paintwork and all-round disk brakes to list some of the options this Premium model gets. Moreover, you are ULEZ and congestion charge exempt in one of these. Not to mention the tax benefits as a sole trader.

This eCitan has shown me the weakness of the infrastructure available to electric cars. Although a fast charger at a motorway service station will get you fully charged in a few hours, they are extremely costly. What is also alarming is that most public chargers are faulty, and therefore do not give you the essential charge that you will need. A typical shopping centre has 4,800 parking spaces, ten of which will be electric charge points. That is 0.2%. Aside from the world not being ready, I would be happy to use as a daily driver. Just not yet.

The George Loveridge Verdict  

Both the regular diesel Citan and this electric eCitan are great for traders, delivery drivers and anybody in between. This model is efficient, fun to drive and would be sufficient to replace your current car. Providing that you don’t have many friends. However, it is just let down by the UK’s snail-like pace at accommodating EVs.

TNU Comment

In the eCitan, I spent 42 minutes charging at a GRIDSERVE charger at a local motorway service station. After that time, I gained an additional 27% range at a cost of £8.62. In contrast, if I were to have filled up the diesel Citan at £1.78/litre with diesel at the same motorway services, it would cost roughly the same amount to credit over 60 miles of range.

Within this case study, £8.62 in an EV gets you 28 miles. £8.90 in a diesel gets you 64.2 miles. Furthermore, you can top up an internal combustion engine’s fuel tank in a couple of moments. It takes a couple of hours to see any beneficial range from an EV. I appreciate that home charging would be a lot easier and cheaper, but for a quick fill-up at the services, I know which I would prefer.

And for GRIDSERVE see TNU February London Gatwick goes electric.

Price as tested: £21,310
Lead in price: £35,970
Average fuel consumption: 3.1 miles per kWh
Range (electric): 120
Engine size: 45 kWh battery pack
0-60: 11 Seconds  

Performance 7
Handling 5
Transmission 10
Noise 10
Economy 2
Ride and Comfort 4
Accommodation 8
Styling 4
Brakes 10
Finish 8

TOTAL =68%

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