Dacia turns the Spring into a tiny van

Dacia has packed a decent amount of equipment into the 3.7-metre long van. A 10-inch screen can replicate a smartphone and drivers will also benefit from cruise control, air conditioning and a reversing camera. There’s also a 240v socket so that appliances can be powered from the Spring Cargo’s 26.8kWh battery pack. 

The urban WLTP range is 186 miles while a charge from 20 per cent to 80 per cent capacity takes 45 minutes on a fast charger. Enough time to take a builder’s tea break.

Urban deliveries are one of the ways in which EVs can make a lot of sense. Short runs between drops are better suited to machines with fewer moving parts, it’s the environment in which reduced tailpipe emissions benefits the greatest number of people and the total miles clocked up by local delivery vans is surprisingly small, meaning that range isn’t such an issue.

At £14,995 or £149 a month (both figures excluding VAT), the Dacia Spring Cargo is the cheapest compact electric van on the market. While the EV technology is forward looking, it does have one traditional van element: it’s only available in white. Other van driver clichés need not apply.