Ari Motors, the small specialist for electric commercial vehicles from Borna in Saxony, presents its largest model to date, the Ari 1710 which competes in the Sprinter class. The 5.99 metre long and 2.59 metre high panel van can carry up to 12 cubic metres of cargo.
The 3.5-tonne is available from from €44,990 (approx. £38,300) net, for the 4.25-tonner you pay €4,000 (£3,400) more. For these prices, you get a 77 kWh battery for a range of 173 miles. A 101-kWh battery for up to 258 miles is available for an additional €4,990 (£4250). The drive is provided by the rear axle; it offers 115 kW and 350 Nm of torque. This enables a top speed of 62 mph to be achieved.
In this presentation video (above), company boss Thomas Kuwatsch puts the consumption of the electric utility vehicle at 22 kWh/100 km (62 mi/kWh). Charging is possible with alternating current or direct current. Kuwatsch has not yet provided any information on the charging capacity, but the battery (presumably the small one) is to be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in 45 minutes at the fast charger; with alternating current, the battery is full again after eight hours, i.e. overnight. One special feature is that the vehicle has a 230-volt source - apparently in the load compartment.
The panel van comes with rear hinged doors as standard, which optionally open up to 270 degrees, and with a sliding door on the pavement side that is 1.10 metres wide. The load compartment measures 3.56 by 1.86 metres and is 1.81 metres high. There is room for three people on the front bench seat.
Otherwise, the equipment is rather plain. Although there are two displays, the touchscreen is apparently primarily intended for operating the radio; there is apparently no sat nav. The car is still started using the ignition key. The driving modes D N, R and S (apparently a sport mode) are selected via a traditional automatic lever, and there is also a mechanical handbrake. At least a reversing camera and cruise control are standard, as are a height-adjustable driver's seat and a height-adjustable steering column.
However, you pay extra for air conditioning and power steering as well as heated seats for the driver. Ari also offers a cooling system for the load compartment for just under €7,000 (£6,000) net. Ari offers a three-year or 80,000 km (50,000 mile) warranty on the vehicle and an eight-year or 400,000 km (250,000 miles) warranty on the battery. The van can already be configured, but there are no data sheets yet, as with the other Ari vehicles. Competitors include the Ford E-Transit, the Mercedes eSprinter and the large Stellantis vans such as the Fiat E-Ducato.
More large electric vans:
The bottom line
The Ari 1710 appears to be an economically equipped but reasonably specified electric van for delivery transport. However, it is not necessarily significantly cheaper than a Mercedes eSprinter, as Ari charges around €45,000 (£38,300) net for the basic version, while the cheapest panel van (with 100 kW and 137 mile range) costs just €40,000 (£34,000) for the star brand.
Sources: Ari auf Youtube, Konfigurator