The smallest green van, which will be delivering parcels to Britons all over the country next spring, will also serve as the latest.
Citroen has today confirmed its electric single-seat Ami ‘Cargo’ commercial vehicle – which is based on the Ami microcar – will be made available in the UK from 2022, with prices expected to start from around £6,000.
It can carry packages for ‘last mile deliveries in urban areas’. This is similar to the capacity of a Volkswagen Golf’s boot, which has 400 litres.
The EV’s range is only 47 miles when fully charged, so it is not suitable to be used for short-haul haulage.
The UK’s smallest van, with a 47-mile range, is Citroen’s electric Ami Cargo. This vehicle will be available for purchase in the UK in 2014. The price for the single-seat commercial vehicle hasn’t been confirmed but it will likely cost from around £6,000
The storage pod has taken the place of one of the two seats. It can carry goods upto 1.2m long, according to the French brand.
The Ami Cargo is available to order now with a deposit of just £250 needed to secure an early order of the dinky van, which will have the driver’s seat and steering wheel on the left of the vehicle with Citroen not producing UK-specific models despite offering the van for sale in Britain.
Eurig Druce is the managing director of Citroen UK. He said, “I am incredibly excited for the Ami Cargo to arrive in the UK next Year.”
He added: “With more cities in the UK imposing restrictions on conventional vehicles, Ami Cargo Electric provides businesses and fleet customers the opportunity to continue urban and last-mile operations, in a practical and sustainable way that is cost-efficient and sustainable.”
Citroen, which received more than 14,000 UK customer notifications regarding the passenger version of its diminutive EV, confirmed that the Ami quadricycle would soon be available for sale to UK customers.
Citroen says that 1,400 – so just 10 per cent – of them have since placed a £250 refundable deposit to reserve one.
Citroen states that the Ami Cartgo will be used by “last-mile delivery drivers and urban business operators in urban areas”, such as London’s newly expanded Ultra Low Emission zone.
More white van teens than white van men: This is Citroen’s answer to electric vans for big cities. The Ami Cargo is lightweight and has a 47-mile range. It can carry only 47 pounds.
UK prices are yet to be confirmed for the Ami Cargo but, in its home market of France, it is available for €6,490, inclusive of a €900 subsidy from the Government. It’s unlikely to be eligible for the UK Government’s Plug-in Car Grant of £2,500
French car manufacturer suggests that the Ami Cargo could be used by florists, pharmacies, electronics shops, and those in the construction industry to check meter readings.
Citroen said it would evaluate whether there’s a demand from UK buyers for the standard Ami two-seat electric car as well as this commercial vehicle alternative
UK prices are yet to be confirmed for the Ami Cargo but, in its home market of France, it is available for €6,490, inclusive of a €900 subsidy from the government.
Because it is classified as a quadricycle and not a car, it currently doesn’t qualify for the UK Government’s Plug-in Car Grant of £2,500 – which is also the case for the Renault Twizy.
That means UK prices are likely to be in the region of £6,000 when it does hit the market next year.
The new commercial vehicle is exactly as big as the Ami microcar and measures in at 2.4m long, 1.5m tall, and 1.4m wide.
It is legal for a 16-year old to use in the UK, as it is a ‘light quadricycle’. One is legal to drive in France for as young as 14-year-olds.
Citroen claims that there will be ample space for loading due to the removal of the seat and the addition this cargo pod with a handy slot to hold a tablet or a laptop.
The storage pod, which replaces the passenger seat, can hold up to 260 litres. It is roughly the same size as the Toyota Yaris’ boot. It can carry a payload of up to 140kg, which is about the same weight as two washing machines (not that they would fit).
To protect the contents of the storage pod, a shelf is placed on top. It also provides additional loading space. The top is A4-cut so that it can be used by the driver to serve as a desk.
The Citroen ami cargo measures just 2.5 metres in length, 1.5 metres high, and 1.4 meters wide. If you park them sideways, four could fit in a standard UK space.
Citroen states it will not convert it into right-hand-drive for UK in an effort to keep production costs down.
However, the interior has undergone major changes to make the compact vehicle into an efficient van.
Citroen says the redesign makes the My Ami Cargo truly ‘small on the outside and big on the inside’.
One of the ways it has increased loading space is by removing one of the seats. This means that delivery drivers don’t have to carry passengers. It is replaced by a storage pod that is separated from the driver so that tumbling boxes don’t land on them while they navigate to their destination.
This is the Ami Cargo, a conventional Ami electric vehicle. It qualifies technically as a quadricycle. This means that 16-year-old drivers are allowed to drive it in the UK. It will also be sold in Britain from next year, with 1,400 customers already reserving one with a £250 deposit
The Ami passenger vehicle has two seats, but very little storage space. The Cargo commercial vehicle has a passenger seat that weighs approximately 4 pounds. This adds about 4 miles to its range.
Citroen states that this was designed to allow the driver to see clearly, and is therefore safe.
The compartment can hold 260 litres. It is marginally smaller than the Toyota Yaris boot.
Citroen Ami Cartgo: Will it fit in my Garage?
Price: approx £6,000
Available for purchase: June 2021 in France (unconfirmed for UK)
Seats:1
Length 2.41 metres
Width1.39m (excluding mirrors).
Height: 1.52 metres
Wheels14-inch
Power Electric motor
Battery:5.5kW
Top speed28mph (45km/h).
The rangeAs much as 47 miles (76km).
Turning circle 7.2 metres
CO2 emissions Zero
Charging time3 hours (from the standard three-pin domestic plug)
It can carry a payload of up to 140kg. This is about the same weight as two washing machines. However, not one would fit into the small space.
The storage pod also has a secondary shelf that can hold up 40kg and doubles up as a workspace.
Designers made an A4-sized cut-out in the shelf for those looking to create a mobile office.
The shelf can be moved towards your driver or tilted towards your passenger door. To maximize storage space, the shelf can be removed completely.
The cargo floor can also be adjusted in two directions. It can be locked vertically and raised to provide unrestricted loading area, or it can drop horizontally to match vehicle floor level. It can carry goods up to 1.2m in length.
This means that a flat-pack chest with drawers from a famous Swedish home store can theoretically be collected and taken home.
The total load capacity is 400 litres.
That’s more than what the latest VW Golf Mk8 can hold (381 litres).
It could be used by florists and pharmacies, electronic stores, energy providers, and those in the construction industry to check meter readings.
The Cargo, like the Ami standard, uses a 5.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It can be charged using a traditional household three-pin socket or at campsites according to the promotional video. A full charge takes around three hours.
The battery powers an 8bhp electric engine that can propel the Ami Cargo up to a – relatively pedestrian – speed of 28mph
A battery charge lasts just three hours, giving you up to 47 miles of driving capability. You can expect to travel less if your van is loaded with heavy items.
The Cargo, like the Ami standard, uses a 5.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged with a traditional three-pin household socket
The battery is fed by an 8bhp motor that can propel Ami to a – quite pedestrian – top speed of 28mph.
Its 47 mile range is about 4 miles more than the standard Ami, which indicates that the seat loss has reduced the overall weight.
If you’re laden with boxes or other luggage, expect the single-charge driving distance for quite a bit less.
Its tiny footprint and tight turning circle of only 7.2 metres mean it is easy to park and maneuver around even the most congested areas.
Citroen is promoting it against scooters, motorcycles, and other vehicles used for urban deliveries. The My Ami Cargo features a steel tubular structure that provides better crash protection, and – naturally – a roof for British weather protection.
The Citroen Ami Cargo (right), will be added to Citroen’s existing fleet electric vans. This already includes the e–Relay, e–Dispatch, and e–Berlingo models. Here’s a quick overview about the other commercial battery vehicles that are currently on Britain’s roads.
Electric vans are already available on Britain’s roads. Here are just a few examples
There are many plug-in vans that are available for businesses who are environmentally conscious and want more cargo space than the Ami Cargo.
The eNV200 is a medium-sized electric van that Nissan has been selling since 2014. It recently got an update to provide 124 miles of range.
Then there’s the Citroen e-Berlingo van and Peugeot Partner Electric, which have ranges just over 100 miles, and the Renault Kangoo ZE with a claimed 120-mile battery range.
You can move up to larger-scale models with Mercedes’ e-Vito or e-Sprinter, Renault has a Master ZE with a 74-mile range, London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC), and Vauxhall recently introduced the Vivaro-e, which has a 205-mile driving range on a full-charge.
Citroen also offers the eDispatch and eRelay vans.
Ford will also be entering the electric commercial vehicle market with the launch of its all-electric E-Transit next year with a 217-mile range and price tag of around £36,000.
Vauxhall’s Luton-built Vivaro-e electric van is one of best that business owners can buy. It starts from just over £27,000 and has a respectable range of 205 miles on a full charge
E-Transit’s quoted range is 217 miles, calculated using the most recent WLTP test cycle. This figure is usually higher than the actual driving distance, and does not account for bulky items that may be carried in the back.
The E-Transit’s battery can easily be recharged using a fast charger that is 115kW DC. It can be charged from 15% to 80% in just 34 minutes. According to the manufacturer, a full charge can take up to eight hours.
However, the My Ami Cargo’s closest rivals are from Renault, its home-nation counterpart.
It also sells the Renault Zoe Van. This van removes the rear bench from electric superminis and has a huge 245-mile range. That’s five times more than the Citroen. It does, however, cost almost £29,000.
The Twizy Cargo is the most similar to-like. Priced from £6,241.67 in the UK when launched in 2013, Renault took the rear seat (the Twizy has a fighter-jet seating layout with a passenger seat behind the driver’s) out to provide storage space.
It measures 2.3 metres in length, which is less than the Citroen. It is also a fraction smaller than the Citroen at just over 1.2 meters. It is no longer available in the UK.
It isn’t able to match the Ami’s load capacity with only 180-litres and carrying up 75kg. However, the French manufacturer claims that it has a 50-mile’real-world range’.
We have written a full review of The Twizy with the assistance of Sir Stirling Moss.
The Zoe Van is identical to Renault’s Zoe passenger vehicle, but the rear seats have been removed to allow for a larger loading back. Although the price is high, the range of this small electric commercial vehicle is impressively long.
The Renault Twizy Cargo is the most obvious rival to the Citroen Myami. To make a very small boot, the rear seat (it had only one) was removed from the Zoe.
The Twizy Cargo is smaller than the My Ami Cargo’s load capacity. It can hold up to 75kg and has 180-litres of storage. According to the French manufacturer, the Twizy does has a slightly longer range, 50 miles in the’real-world.