ABM Q4 - Flipbook - Page 71
REVIEW
FARIZON V7E
U
pon its UK release at the CV
Show earlier this year, the
Farizon V7E seemed like the
van that would finally enable
widespread electrification in
the medium-van segment,
the most popular part of the
LCV market.
With a price that undercuts
the segment’s most popular diesel model,
the Ford Transit Custom, along with bestin-class payload and cargo volume, the
V7E seems like a no-brainer on paper.
A single configuration is offered at
present: an L1H1 panel van with twin
sliding doors, and rear barn doors.
Farizon offers a choice between a
50kWh or 67kWh battery, with the smaller
unit offering a slightly higher payload in
exchange for a 55-mile range hit. Cargo
volume is 6.95 cubic metres regardless of
battery size.
Prices start at £28,500 before VAT,
delivery, and any grants for the V7E with
the 50kWh battery, which has a range
of 149 miles and a maximum payload of
1,338kg. Automotive Business Magazine
tested the 67kWh V7E, which has a
payload of 1,208kg, a range of 204 miles,
and a base price of £30,500.
Uncompromised
capability
On paper, the V7E is extremely
impressive. Operators have bemoaned
the reduced capabilities of electric vans
compared with their diesel counterparts,
but with the V7E, this is not the case.
Compared with the default diesel
choice in the segment, the Ford Transit
Custom, the V7E offers no penalty for
switching to electric. In fact, the smallbattery V7E offers slightly more cargo
volume and a marginally higher payload
than even the most capable dieselpowered Transit Custom, the 320 L2H1, a
van that costs around £8,000 more.
If fleets can answer the questions of
range and charging, the V7E should be
fairly simple to slot into operations, with
no need to reduce loads simply because
it has a plug.
On the subject of charging, speeds are
competitive at 100kW, matching most of
the other vans in the segment. A charge
from 20% to 80% takes 18 minutes on the
50kW model, or 30 minutes on the 67kWh
model. Being electric, it also comes with
vehicle-to-load (V2L), with a three-pin
plug at the very rear of the cargo area,
which should prove a useful addition.
Its twin sliding doors make the V7E
particularly well-suited for courier
operations, although those looking to
install racking or other equipment in the
rear may have preferred the option of a
single door, or a tailgate.
Another quirk of the V7E’s configuration
is the seating arrangement. At a glance,
it seems to have the traditional medium
van setup of a three-seat bench, though
a closer look reveals just two seatbelts,
with the middle ‘seat’ folding down
to reveal a pair of cupholders. This is
unlikely to be a dealbreaker, but it may
force a rethink of operations, certainly
for tradespeople.
Road manners
When it comes to the driving experience,
electric vans right many of the inherent
wrongs with diesel vans.
The low-slung battery improves
handling, while the instant response
of the electric motor makes joining
motorways, overtaking and pulling out
from junctions almost effortless.
All of this is true for the V7E. While
Farizon quotes a 0 to 62mph time of
17 seconds, the van feels significantly
faster, at least when carrying a light
load. Farizon also claims that the V7E
tops out at 75mph, a fact that should
limit the number of speeding tickets fleet
managers are left to deal with.
A slightly unsettled ride when unladen
is to be expected from a van, but the
V7E has a ride that passes the line of
‘a bit bouncy’, crossing straight into
‘unpleasant’. It is bad enough over
potholes, but goes full see-saw over
an undulating piece of road, with a
truly nauseating front-to-rear rocking
motion, and the rear end bounces like a
basketball over sharper speed bumps,
even at low speeds.
Steering and braking is by-wire, the
former of which is still quite unusual, but
neither are massively noticeable.
Both are linear and easy to modulate,
though the steering ratio is quite slow,
and requires fairly significant inputs,
even for a van, to keep the V7E in its lane
at higher speeds. →
Q4 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
71
