Volkswagen reveals pure-electric e-Crafter with 200km range

Volkswagen unveiled a pure-electric version of its Crafter delivery van late last night at the Hannover commercial vehicle show in Germany.

The concept, called the e-Crafter, is claimed to be near production-ready with the real pure-electric version of the Volkswagen delivery van going on sale globally as early as next year.

Powered by a 100kW/290Nm electric motor that's fed by a 43kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the e-Crafter concept is said to be able to carry up to 1700kg and travel up to 208km between charges.

Space is generous, because the electronics and motor are stored under the front bonnet while engineers were careful the underfloor batteries didn't steal too much space.

VW says maximum load length is 4855mm, load height a lofty 1961mm and the width remains unchanged at 1380mm. In total, load volume is 11.3 cubic metres -- the same as a diesel-powered short-wheelbase high-top Crafter.

Perhaps more impressive, charging is claimed to take just 45 minutes from empty using the a new 40kWh "Power DC" charger the German van-maker is developing.

Later on after launch, Volkswagen has announced it will introduce a long-range version of the e-Crafter that, thanks to next-gen batteries, will cover up to 400km between charges.

Unfortunately, the new e-Crafter isn't perfect.

First off, the conventional Crafter, that goes on sale in Europe in November, can carry far more than its electric cousin with the biggest van's having a payload of up to 2500kg in long-wheelbase form.

The reduction in load carrying potential is, says VW, because the weight of its batteries pushes the kerb weight of the e-Crafter to a hefty 2541kg. The payload had to be reduced to ensure that, when loaded, the e-Crafter didn't exceed German rules that vans (and loads) heavier than 4200kg can only be driven with truck licences.

Secondly, the pure-electric delivery concept is limited to just 80km/h, restricting its use to urban environments only.

Finally, until local recharging infrastructure improves, the zero-tailpipe-emission e-Crafter is almost certain to be off limits for Australia.

Volkswagen's all-new Crafter van and cab chassis range has been developed to compromise nearly 70 distinct variants and promises, says its maker, to offer improved efficiency, enhanced driver comfort and greater freedom when it comes to aftermarket customisation.

Developed this time without Mercedes-Benz's cooperation, the Crafter introduces new semi-autonomous driving aids.

As yet, there's still no word when exactly in 2017 the new Crafter will land Down Under.