Frankfurt Motor Show would feel so empty without a couple of interesting Volkswagen concepts. So here’s one to get things going: the fluffy little Volkswagen e-load up! that is an electric urban van. Granted, the biggest object you can carry in this car is a couple of pizzas, but hey, it’s still a delivery car!
The car is based on the normal electric e-up! which means it is powered by an almost silent electric motor with maximum power output of 60 kW / 82 PS and 210 Nm of torque. The performance is, as you would expect, shabby, with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 12.4 seconds a top speed of 130 km/h. But the range is surprisingly good for an EV of this size at 160 km; enough for delivering, oh, ten, eleven pizzas.
The 1.164 kg micro van has a total load of 306 kg, and its 3.54 metre length make it an absolute hoot to drive in any town’s narrow streets. And although we joke about its loading space, if you fold the passenger seat down, you get access to a whopping 1,400 liters of cargo space.
The fact is, Volkswagen up! is an amazingly likeable car in whatever format it comes. We still prefer the GTi version, but Volkswagen says they might produce this electric e-load up! version as well, if there’s enough demand.