SAIC Maxus has committed a veritable chunk of investment to help commercial van drivers make the switch to electric vehicles. Ploughing £30 million into the UK EV market by way of a support programme, the Maxus brand looks to cement its increasing growth in its electrified LCV range.
Effective immediately and called the ‘EV Conquest’ programme, a subsidy of £15,000 will be given for purchases of Maxus e Deliver 9. All variants of the e Deliver 9, including dropside, fridge, panel and tipper vans qualify for the support. The Luton box, milk float and welfare styles also meet the criteria. However, there is one caveat. The support will only apply to the first 2,000 vans purchased.
The LDV EV80 enjoyed great success with British brands, such as Milk & More, before the rebrand to Maxus in 2020. The introduction of the e Deliver 9 and the e Deliver 3 has seen this brand go from strength to strength to try and challenge other van manufacturers’ models Ford, Peugeot and Vauxhall.
In a bid to establish itself as a major player in the UK’s growing electric van community, the investment follows the launch of a UK headquarters in Warrington in 2021. Speaking about the EV support programme, general manager of Harris Maxus, Mark Barrett said,
‘The pace at which the market is making the switch is still too slow if the UK is to successfully fulfil its commitment to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2030. Achieving this target is no easy feat and it is going to take a monumental effort from all stakeholders.’
‘Maxus recognises that we have a key role to play in accelerating the rate of change; this is why the company has pledged to support the UK’s transition to zero emissions transport by encouraging drivers to switch to electric driving right now.’
‘Our new £30m EV conquest programme will help ensure that by the end of the year there will be an additional 2,000 eLCVs on the road and 2,000 fewer ICE powered vehicles.’
Parented by Chinese vehicle manufacturer SAIC, the MAXUS brand is operated in the UK and Ireland by Harris Group, a well-established LCV dealer group based in Dublin, Ireland.
Is it worth buying an electric van?
Like passenger cars, electric vans are set to save drivers a lot of money. Already some 15% of small and medium-sized businesses have committed to a switch to electric propulsion. Replacing fuel costs, the budget for electricity required to charge electric vans costs less, despite recently rising energy prices.
Electrified powertrains use fewer components and fewer fluids. Simply put, there’s less that can go wrong and so this helps keeps maintenance costs down. Regular consumables are then predominantly wipers and tyres, as with fossil-fuelled cars.
Of course, there’s also extra perks, circumventing various cities’ ULEZ charges, being one of the more appealing advantages. It’s worth checking out our electric van buying guide, to evaluate if you’re ready to make the switch.
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>> Read our guide to the Best Electric Vans