TOYOTA is the latest van maker to announce an electric delivery vehicle.
Proace electric will come first towards the end of next year followed by an electrified version of the smaller Proace City the following year.
Ford, Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall all announced their electrified van plans earlier this year at the Commercial Vehicle show.
The are adding electric to meet the demand for last-mile delivery requirements and the need to meet stricter emission rules in cities.
They will use the same electric powertrains as those being launched in Peugeot and Citroen vans over the next two years.
Proace is already built alongside the PSA models in Vigo, Spain.
Tim Thompson, Senior Manager Marketing Management Commercial Vehicles at Toyota Motor Europe said there is increasing interest in battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
He said: “City delivery vans account 7% of urban traffic and 17% of pollution.
“Our aim is to be an electrification leader as more and more cities introduce measures to reduce emissions. Businesses need to be compliant.”
Currently there are 13 cities across Europe which have introduced measures of one kind or another to reduce emissions and this is a trigger for BEVs.
Thompson said: “There is also the requirement from the EU to bring the CO2 average down to 101 g/km by 2030 so it is important that we have a fully electric offering alongside our established hybrids and PHEVs.”
There are no current plans to have PHEV versions of the Proace, he added.
Toyota is not giving details on range or pricing although Thompson said that range “will be competitive”, while the possibility for fast charging is under discussion.
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