Over the years, I’ve written about electric vans on a number of occasions.
One electric van I haven’t covered – for some reason – is a model that has been around for some years now and continues to thrive – the Aixam Mega:
The Aixam Mega has a smaller footprint than a Mini and is available in diesel and electric versions
Aixam is a French company that makes a variety of small vehicles, many of which are available in electric versions. Aixam specialises in ‘quadricycles’ – a little known category of vehicle that can historically be driven by holders of motorcycle licences. In the UK, you must have passed your motorcycle test before 1st March 2001 to do this – if you have passed your motorcycle test since then, you will need a car licence to drive an Aixam.
The Mega is Aixam’s commercial offering and has been quietly but steadily successful in both electric and diesel-powered versions. It has a footprint that is small than that of the current Mini (which admittedly is not that small anymore) and offers a payload of up to 3 cubic metres and 625kg – the same as some conventional small vans.
The electric version of the Mega has a range of around 60km and a maximum speed of about 45km/h. Anyone wanting more performance can opt for a diesel version, which can achieve speeds of up to 75km/h. The electric Mega takes 8-10 hours to charge and is of course zero-rated for road tax (and exempt from the London Congestion Charge).
The Mega is obviously not suitable for long-distance work, but it is extremely suitable for urban work, site work and other local work where its slim versatility comes in handy. The Mega is also available with a range of body types:
- Panel van
- Tipper
- Dropside
- Pickup
- Skip Tipper (integral skip body on tipper mechanism)