Three vans, one platform, batteries from 50.4 kWh
Delivan showed three vehicles, all on the same platform: the L1H1 and L2H3 panel vans and an L3 chassis cab. The headline numbers, straight from the company's IAA press material:
- batteries from 50.4 kWh to 97.4 kWh
- up to 426 km WLTP combined range
- charging from 15 to 80 per cent in roughly 22 minutes
- L2H3: up to 11.6 m³ of cargo volume
- L1H1: payload up to 1,400 kg; L3 chassis cab up to 2,120 kg
Chery calls the range "Europe-developed" and wraps it in a "1+3" proposition — the van plus connected fleet management, remote diagnostics and maintenance, and conversions through specialist partners. For a fleet manager that last part matters as much as the badge: a van a converter cannot fit out is a van you cannot buy.
The 22-minute charge: we did the arithmetic
Press releases rarely say which battery the fast-charging figure refers to, so let's work it out. Charging from 15 to 80 per cent means filling 65 per cent of the pack.
On the 97.4 kWh pack that is about 63.3 kWh. Delivered in 22 minutes, that is an average of roughly 173 kW across the window. On the smallest 50.4 kWh pack it is about 33 kWh, or an average of roughly 89 kW.
Both are respectable for a commercial van — but they are very different claims. Because 15–80 per cent is the easy part of the curve, peak power has to sit above those averages: comfortably over 175 kW for the big pack. Ask the dealer which battery the 22 minutes applies to, and at what temperature.
426 km WLTP is not 426 km with a full load
The official figure works out at about 22.9 kWh/100 km (97.4 kWh ÷ 426 km × 100) — plausible on a WLTP cycle, optimistic on a British A-road with 800 kg of tools and a roof rack.
Loaded vans typically use 30–40 per cent more than the official number, which would put a realistic working range nearer 290–330 km in mild weather, and less in a January cold snap. For a plumber covering a 60 km radius, that is a working day plus a bit. For a courier running 250 km of motorway, it is a lunchtime stop.
100 dealers in five years — and no prices yet
Ross Davies, COO of Chery Commercial Vehicle UK, told AM Online that a five-year plan "would be 100+ sites over the UK", built organically and filling "grey spots" as it goes. Some sites may be existing Chery car dealers; others would be dedicated commercial vehicle centres.
Two things are still missing, and they are the two that decide whether this works for a small firm: which dealers and what the vans cost. Neither has been confirmed. Delivan names the UK alongside Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Nordics as key markets, so British buyers are not the only ones waiting.
The part nobody solves: charging at home
A van is different from a car. It goes home to a terraced street, not to a depot. Two things we have covered recently help: from autumn 2026 England drops planning permission for cross-pavement charging, so a charge point can go on your wall with a cable channel across the pavement. And EZO has raised €150 million for 3,000 charge points across the UK and Ireland — roughly €50,000 per point — aimed at exactly the public network van drivers use.
On price, where the vans are built will matter. We reported that EU-built EVs could face a 10% UK tariff from 2027 unless battery origin rules are delayed; the same rules of origin shape what a Chinese-built van costs once it lands.
What to do with this
- Don't sign on WLTP alone. Ask for consumption at your typical load and route.
- Check payload, not cargo volume. 1,400 kg sounds generous until you add racking, a generator and two people.
- Run your own numbers. Our EV savings calculator and charging cost calculator use your tariff and mileage, not a brochure figure.
- Plan the public stops. Our cheapest Superchargers list covers 483 locations — useful if your round crosses a motorway.
Chinese newcomers do stumble: Nio recalled 686 Firefly EVs over a steering sensor defect this year. That is not a reason to avoid Delivan — it is a reason to ask who services the van and how fast parts arrive.
Source: https://www.electrive.com/2026/09/18/delivan-targets-over-100-uk-dealers-in-electric-van-push/
