Electric van the answer to ‘last mile’ delivery market?

New startup Chanje, a California based commercial electric vehicle and energy solutions company – backed by Hong Kong’s FDG Electric Vehicles – yesterday unveiled its first product, a commercial all-electric van available at mass scale for the US market.

The first model is the V8070 commercial panel van with an increased payload and cargo capacity, equipped to haul up to 2750 kilos. The average urban delivery route in the US is around 100 kms a day, making ‘last mile’ delivery a perfect market for electric mobility.

“We have an opportunity to meaningfully overhaul the last mile industry and completely revolutionise how that facet of transportation impacts the environment,” says Bryan Hansel, CEO of Chanje.

“Medium duty electric trucks offer the biggest emissions saving potential of all vehicles because our products fit best where they are needed the most – in highly populated, dense urban centres where noise and air quality are a major concern.”

Chanje says it has volume orders for the vehicle and that they will start deliveries by the end of the year. It is the only one of its kind designed from the ground up as an EV and purpose-built to be a long-life truck.

The company already has a manufacturing facility in Hangzhou, China, where they are producing vehicles, but they also plan a US assembly plant.

Based on a single platform, global vehicle strategy, Chanje will subsequently introduce a full range of electric models including larger trucks and shuttle buses in a variety of lengths and capacities, all aimed at the urban vehicle segment.

The Chanje team is also partnering with industry leaders in autonomous driving technology to implement the company’s autonomous strategy.