Footasylum takes on Mercedes-Benz eVito and charging station

Retailer Footasylum has added an electric Mercedes-Benz eVito van to its fleet, which is being used to ferry internal post, stock and other consignments to and from the company’s head office at Sandbrook Park, Rochdale. It is also called upon regularly to transport product samples to a photographic studio in the city centre.

Supplied by north west Dealer Ciceley Commercials, the vehicle has a gross weight of 3.2 tonnes, a range of approximately 93 miles, and comes with three seats, as well as sliding load doors on both sides. Footasylum’s eVito is a long L2 PURE variant which offers a payload allowance of 923 kg and up to 6.0m3 of cargo area – the 41 kWh battery is securely mounted in a protective housing beneath the floor, so does not impinge on the available space.

The new van is based at Footasylum’s main distribution centre on Heywood Distribution Park, Greater Manchester, where an overnight charging station has been installed – the battery can be fully replenished in six hours using a Type-2 connection.

“The eVito is working within a relatively small radius so range is never an issue,” said Footasylum’s Retail Distribution Centre Manager Keith Whalen. “It’s also a very busy area, though.

“The eVito is ideally suited to the role and does everything we need it to do. As well as being the right size for the job, it’s nice and easy when you’re at the wheel – nippy in traffic, quiet, and very comfortable – so naturally our driver David Howard loves it.

“The biggest plus of all, though,” he continued, “is that it’s so much cleaner than a diesel-engined van. This smart new Mercedes-Benz underlines the company’s commitment to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment.”

Footasylum’s eVito is the subject of a two-year Mercedes-Benz Finance contract hire agreement arranged by Ciceley Commercials – the attractive monthly payment rate reflects the fact that the Dealer secured the maximum available grant from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) prior to registration, thereby reducing the capital cost of the van.

eVito customers also benefit from the low cost of electricity compared to diesel and petrol, as well as favourable tax rates and E-mobility support programmes. The relative simplicity of its electric motor means the eVito’s maintenance and repair costs are substantially lower too, than those of a vehicle with combustion engine.

The eVito’s electric motor produces 114 hp and drives the front wheels via a single-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration is instantaneous. Top speed is restricted as standard to 50 mph (80 km/h), although this can be increased on request. The column-mounted selector allows drivers to choose between C, E and E+ (Comfort, Eco and Extended range) settings.

The eVito’s range – 90-plus miles is comfortably enough for the majority of city-based applications – is supplemented by recuperative charging, but will be reduced by constant driving with a full load.