Can you give us details about your new Pelkan electric LCV?
The Pelkan eLCV is the first vehicle in a new model line-up of purpose-built electric commercial vehicles from B–ON. Like the previous models from our brand, the all-electric Pelkan focuses on reducing downtime and improving productivity while offering fleets a connected product portfolio – smart tools, software and telematics, and energy management – to harness all the benefits electric fleets can provide.
You may have seen the Pelkan on display in Japan last year and CES this January in show car form. We’ll be bringing it to the CV Show this April in production-ready specification and we can’t wait show it off across the three-day event.
Describe B–ON’s smart dispenser technology?
Our new Pelkan can be fitted with our innovative smart dispenser – something brand new to the market. In fact, you can fit the smart dispenser to any LCV.
It works by utilising GPS technology to track packages and ensure that at depot-level they’re sorted in order of delivery stops when they’re scanned onto the van. The dispenser is effectively a rotating set of shelves in the cargo hold that work by utilising GPS technology to automatically sort and organise packages without requiring driver input. Once the delivery driver has reached an address, the dispenser will automatically rotate to the correct shelf to present the corresponding package to the driver on the kerbside, without having to rummage in the back [of the van]. We predict this will save around 15 seconds per package – a huge amount of time saved per delivery round – and space due to not having to ensure the extra space in the cargo hold for a pathway to get the driver in and out.
If the wrong package is mistakenly pulled, the scanner will show red and alert the driver. When the correct package is pulled from the system, a green light will show and the system will mark the delivery as complete. Overall, it allows drivers to do more work in the same amount of time, generating as much as £7,000 in extra revenue per unit per year.
What will you be displaying at the CV Show?
At the CV Show we’ll be making the global debut of the production-ready Pelkan, the European debut of the smart dispenser, and we’ll have a physical example of our EES (Electrical Energy Storage) unit which uses second-life EV batteries to store power for cheaper and greener EV charging. Aside from all that, we’ll have demos of our software including our telematics system and of course the UK and European team on hand to answer any questions visitors to our stand [5C66] may have.
Like at CES in the USA earlier this year, we’ll also be advertising our work with the #SpaceForCities campaign to highlight the need for more efficient urban areas, as we understand the part we play as a company that offers fleet vehicles aimed at towns and cities – to make our cities cleaner, greener and less congested.
What is B–ON’s commitment to the #SpaceForCities campaign?
We are proud advocates of the #SpaceForCities movement, which focuses on exploring how we can use fewer vehicles more efficiently and subsequently reduce the number of vehicles on the road, reducing both congestion and the carbon footprint in cities. As a manufacturer of electric-powered commercial vehicles, we understand B–ON’s part to play in protecting our urban areas from pollution and freeing them from congestion with smart solutions.
Are you offering a direct-to-consumer sales model for the UK market?
The UK market is an important one to us, hence our investment in the CV Show and utilising the event as a platform for the Pelkan’s global debut and the smart dispenser’s European debut. The Pelkan will be delivered to international customers this summer through direct-to-consumer methods and dealer partners. It’s too early to reveal right now, however we are in ongoing conversations with UK distributors and more will be revealed in due course.
Tell us about the partnership with EO charging?
EO is one of the UK’s leading providers of electric vehicle chargers and charging services with an extensive global network. Our partnership, announced in April of last year, provides B–ON customers access to EOs end-to-end charging and infrastructure services as part of its comprehensive EV ecosystem. Both companies are committed to creating a seamless, simple transition to electric fleets, especially in the UK.
Bruno Lambert, CEO of B–ON
