Peugeot has announced that it has started production of its new e-Expert Hydrogen van, the brand’s first fuel-cell powered model.
The innovative van joins the standard electric e-Expert and combines two power sources – a hydrogen fuel cell located where the engine would normally be found and a permanent electric motor. It produces the same 134bhp and 260Nm of torque as the electric van, too.
It’s essentially a plug-in hybrid hydrogen model, as the model can be refilled with hydrogen in as little as three minutes, while a 10.5kWh battery can be charged using a three-pin plug in six hours, or under an hour using an 11kW wallbox.
At slower speeds, the battery will power the van, with the fuel cell taking over the work at higher steady speeds. When accelerating, the two will combine for maximum performance.
With the hydrogen system located under the floor, the e-Expert is capable of a maximum load volume of up to 6.1m3, and has a payload of up to 1,110kg. Two body sizes are available too – the Standard and Long, which are 4.95m and 5.3m in length respectively.
All e-Expert Hydrogen models are equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation and smartphone mirroring, too, as well as a reversing camera.
Though Peugeot has said the new hydrogen van will be available in France and Germany by the end of the year, it’s not yet known if it will come to the UK. However, sibling firm Vauxhall, which recently announced its mechanically identical Vivaro-e Hydrogen, has said its model would be introduced to Britain in early 2023.
