B-ON and Chery to launch electric van in Europe this year

B-ON and Chery Group are to form a joint venture to launch a new Pelkan electric light commercial vehicle in mainland Europe in the middle of this year.

At the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham today, the European clean mobility solutions provider and Chinese vehicle manufacturer announced they will develop produce and sell all-electric commercial vehicles.

As part of the partnership. B-ON will contribute its network for sales, aftersales and bringing in Europe and North America, as well as engineering design and product development, while Chery Commercial Vehicle will provide engineering as well as supply chain support and manufacturing.

The Pelkan will feature a payload of up to 1,350kg and two battery options of 43kWh and 54kWh offering ranges of 141 miles and 174 miles respectively.

Bruno Lambert, CEO of B–ON, said: “Partnering with a major world leader like Chery Group is a pivotal moment for B–ON and its growth.

“Combined, our ability to provide high quality, low-cost electric commercial vehicles is unmatched in the market today, and I’m extremely optimistic about our joint prospects.” 

Tongyue Yin, Chairman of Chery Group, said: “As a leading global automaker, we have long recognised the need to be prepared for an electric future.

“Innovative, agile companies like B–ON are uniquely poised to supply the nascent and rapidly expanding commercial vehicle market in their local geographies but lack the manufacturing base to address the full mass-market demand.

“Our partnership makes for a perfect union. Together, our future is bright.”