Professional Builder continues to chart our journey with our long-term loan vehicle – the Toyota Proace City Electric
When you list the reasons why you might want to convert to a battery electric vehicle then the driving experience should rate pretty highly. As much as a trowel is to a spreader or a saw to a chippie, your trusty workhorse is an indispensable tool of your trade. That doesn’t mean you can’t make the experience of living with it as enjoyable and comfortable as possible, of course, and the Toyota Proace City certainly delivers.
The first feature to shout about is the noise levels. Modern diesels are far more unobtrusive on the ears than their forebearers but they’ll still never be able to compete with an electric motor on decibels. Indeed, they are so quiet that when sat at the steering wheel – especially when switched on and parked – it does take a bit of getting used to.
Now let’s examine running an EV on the road. One of the standout features of electric is the performance. If you were to line up an electric van and an internal combustion engine vehicle together on a track, the former can deliver maximum torque from a standing start whilst the ICE is still labouring through the gears. What that means in practice is a very satisfying level of acceleration.
In an LCV of relatively compact dimensions – such as our Toyota Proace City Electric – the amount of power at your disposal from a commercial vehicle is actually very surprising. Added to that is some equally impressive handling. Lithium-ion batteries are quite heavy and, when they are arranged under the cargo area – as they are on the Proace City – it has the effect of sticking the vehicle to corners.
Of course – and contrary to popular opinion – the average white van man or woman are actually very careful drivers. With all your tools and materials in the back you can’t really afford not to be. Having said that, driving a vehicle that can shift a bit when cargo contents allow will make for a more satisfied owner.
There are three driving modes on the Toyota Proace City – Normal, Power and Eco. When you turn the key to start your day the default setting will be normal, whilst you can move to one of the other two options via a switch on the centre console. Choosing Eco does have a noticeable effect on the performance, and it will reduce the efficacy of the air con. At the same time, in our estimation, it does seem to preserve the charge to a noticeable degree. The Power setting provides even more impetus to what is already a nimble performer.
Now we move on to the gear changes of which, of course, there aren’t any. Automatic boxes on diesel commercial vehicles have a bit of checkered history and it is still the case that you’ll need to select a van from the premium end of the market to source a van with a transmission without a satellite delay to changing. By contrast, the Toyota Proace City seamlessly glides up or down in speed without any intervention from the driver.
Overall, then, it’s clear that switching to electric means you will actually enhance whatever pleasure you might glean from driving. Next month we get to the business end of any van, which is the load area and vital statistics.
For more information on the Toyota Proace range visit Proace | Electric or Diesel Medium Van | Toyota UK.
