Delivery vans do lots of short trips, park outside all day, and have big flat surfaces. That makes them ideal candidates for solar charging. The ARI 458 from German maker ARI Motors is a small, affordable electric L7e light commercial vehicle that can be ordered as a box van, pickup or even a mini camper.
ARI offers a solar roof option that adds up to around 30 km of range per day (about €1,250 at the time). In 2021 ARI and Sono Motors (makers of the Sion) went further. They presented an ARI 458 box van with five vehicle-integrated solar modules on the roof and side walls, with a peak output of 450 W. Under normal conditions this adds about 20 km a day, and up to 48 km on the best summer days.
Depending on the battery, the ARI 458 itself has a range of about 120–230 km and a top speed of around 70 km/h, with a 15 kW motor. That is plenty for city delivery rounds, especially when the sun refills part of the battery while the driver is at the door.
Technical data
| Builder | ARI Motors (Germany) |
|---|---|
| Type | Electric L7e light commercial vehicle (box van, pickup, camper) |
| Solar option | Roof panel, up to ~30 km/day |
| Sono integration | 5 integrated modules on roof and sides, 450 Wp; Ø 20 km/day, up to 48 km/day in summer (2021) |
| Battery range | ~120–230 km depending on version |
| Motor | 15 kW |
| Top speed | ~70 km/h |
Photo: Sopranos83 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: electrive (2021) · OpenVan.camp