- Flexis announced it will sell three all-electric vans in Europe starting next year.
- The company is a joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group and French shipping giant CMA CGM.
- The vans are based on a bespoke 800-volt electrical architecture and run a Google-based software experience.
Designing a cool, futuristic electric van is one thing, but bringing it to the market and making money is extremely difficult–just ask Arrival and Canoo. And it’s not just in the commercial vehicle game where startups come and go.
But when you have two carmaking heavyweights behind you, plus a shipping giant, the outcome has a better chance of being positive instead of having the PR team put out a release announcing bankruptcy.
That’s what Flexis, a new name in the European electric commercial vehicle space is hoping for, at least. A joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group and French logistics specialist CMA CGM, the new brand debuted three battery-powered vans. And the technology powering them is quite interesting.
Specs are still thin at the moment, but we know that all the models are powered by an 800-volt battery pack on a “skateboard” EV platform that can be replenished to 80% state of charge in just 20 minutes. A single, front-mounted, 197-horsepower electric motor provides motivation. A Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platform based on Google’s Android operating system comes on top of all the hardware and offers Google Cloud connectivity and comprehensive fleet management options.
Speaking of fleets, the three battery-powered vans will be offered under a business-to-business (B2B) model, but Renault Group and Renault Trucks said they would also sell them under their own brands in their sales networks.
Rather confusingly, Renault Group–which makes passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles–is a separate company from Renault Trucks–which makes big rigs and is a subsidiary of Volvo Group. Moreover, Volvo Group does not include Volvo Cars, which makes models like the EX90.
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Flexis
The lineup of vans begins with the Step-In model, which has the same footprint as a gas-powered Ford Transit Connect but a much taller, 6.2-foot (1.9-meter) cabin height, front sliding doors and a rear shutter door–a first in Europe.
Then, there’s the Panel Van–an electric model more similar to the Ford Transit Custom. It has an overall height of 6.2 feet (1.9 m), allowing it to enter underground city parking and garages with ease. In Europe, most underground parking garages have a maximum height of 6.5 ft (2 m), so this can fit just fine.
Finally, there’s the Cargo Van. It’s based on the same bones as the Step-In van but has a separate cargo area at the rear. Flexis said this model is adapted for urban last-mile delivery services and that the cargo box can have different sizes, depending on the operating company’s needs.
Photo by: Flexis
Flexis Electric Van Lineup
The joint venture’s approach to creating an EV van from the ground up is similar to Rivian’s. As in, develop a skateboard platform that can accommodate pretty much any body type on top, then tie everything together with a solid software experience. That said, Flexis will have its work cut out for it, as other heavyweights are eyeing Europe as their next market.
Kia is one of those heavyweights, with the Korean automaker announcing last year that it would start selling its funky-looking software-defined vehicles (SDVs) in the region this summer.
Flexis already has commitments from big names like Colis Prive, Hived and DB Schenker, and estimates a potential demand of up to 15,000 vehicles over three years. The electric vans will be manufactured at Renault Group’s Sandouville plant in France with deliveries set to begin next year.
