Venturi Automobiles and PSA Peugeot Citroën have joined forces to supply electric vans based on the Citroën Berlingo First / Peugeot Partner Origin in response to a tender from the French Post Office, La Poste.

Issued in April 2007, the international tender initially involves the supply of a small number of test vehicles. Following a six-month trial period, during which the vehicles will be thoroughly tested, La Poste will select the supplier of 500 mail delivery vans.

As Venturi Automobiles’ partner, PSA Peugeot Citroën feels that this phase of real-world testing represents a valuable opportunity to fine-tune the technological solutions equipping these delivery vans, to align them seamlessly with La Poste’s expectations.

The Citroën Berlingos / Peugeot Partners will be tested with an entirely new power train proposed by Venturi. This extremely compact technology makes it possible to fit the electric motor, battery and other EV components inside the van’s engine compartment, in lieu of the internal combustion engine. This offers the major advantage of ensuring the same load volume and payload as in a conventional version.

The electric vans will have a range of up to 100 kilometres, which is amply sufficient to cover their mail delivery routes.

PSA Peugeot Citroën will contribute its automotive expertise and experience, particularly in electric vehicles.

Venturi will provide its particularly compact and innovative power train solution, as well as its short-run production capabilities.

The partnership will enable PSA Peugeot Citroën to relaunch its Electric Vehicle business, where it was a pioneer and European market leader, with nearly 10,000 vehicles sold. The Group believes that in the future, electric vehicles will play an important role in reducing automotive emissions, with sales being driven primarily by city delivery vans.