Heavy Duty Trucking, January 2018

TEST DRIVE HDT JANUARY 2018 40 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM The dash A panel displays speed and mileage info as well as state of charge and estimated remaining miles Drivers can navigate through a variety of system screens including one that shows energy transfer from the motor to the wheels and vice versa when regenerative braking occurs A look inside The cargo space in the V8070 is generous and easily accessed by a pair of swinging rear doors or a sliding side door The cargo section of the van I drove was finished in neutral gray paneling with a textured floor The dual wheel wheel wells with 37 inches between them protrude into the cargo area by about 7 inches which will limit the ability to conveniently place a pallet on the back of the truck There are several tiedown points located along the floor on the right and left side and others could easily be added to the walls I suspect An optional bulkhead with a sliding door is available that would seal the drivers area from the cargo compartment The drivers area is quite similar to most other such vehicles its easy to climb into and nice and roomy The visibility around the van is very good with massive front and side windows The mirrors looked a little small from the outside but the visibility was actually very good The basic controls are also similar to other vans with a dash mounted gear shifter steering wheel mounted radio and telephone controls and stalk mounted turn signals wiper controls etc all in familiar places Theres a 104 inch Android based touchscreen display with LTE connectivity in the center console that displays climate control information along with radio Bluetooth connectedness and various on board system menus Its bright and easy to navigate even when the sun is shining on it but its just far enough out of the drivers direct line of sight that it wasnt distracting The dash A panel displays the usual speed and mileage info along with a state of charge indicator and estimated available miles The center display screen shows among other things animations of the power draw from the batteries to the wheels and vice versa when in regenerative braking mode Theres nothing here that drivers will not be immediately familiar and comfortable with and I thought the whole control and display setup was intuitive and easy to use I didnt need to intervene with anything beyond the turn signals Driving Chanje My chance to drive the Chanje V8070 came in late October in Brooklyn New York Chanje had a place set up for media events and customer ride and drives on Kent Ave a few blocks from the Williamsburg Bridge in the north part of the borough That afforded me the opportunity to drive through the areas narrow busy streets as well as to get a few miles at highway speed on I 495 and I 278 which pretty well covers the sort of territory in which the van will operate The van uses a proximity key system To turn it on you press the power button on the dash The system runs through a series of checks and the dash lights up followed by a very faint humming sound To set the van in motion you pull the gear selector into Drive and release the electronic parking brake The van does not immediately begin to roll as would a conventional powertrain with an automatic transmission The accelerator pedal is sensitive but not overly so a slight depression was all it took to get the vehicle moving A more aggressive application gets it moving in a more exciting fashion Wandering up and down Kent Ave and taking a few detours on the side streets let me get a feel for the van It feels much the same as a typical panel van and as the marketing material suggests it doesnt feel as large as it is It has a tight turning radius and the rear overhang is sizable The overall length is about 26 feet but the wheelbase is just 16 feet so its very agile I managed to parallel park the thing with ease albeit in front of a fire hydrant because there is no parking to be had anywhere in Brooklyn I didnt stay long Its certainly a lot quieter than a diesel powered van I got a couple of sideways looks from pedestrians who were clearly taken off guard by its silent propulsion system As is the curse of all non engine powered vehicles the other noises were much more obvious like a few rattles from the paneling in the cargo section The interior is cavernous so recording a few bits for an upcoming video on the drive it sounded a little echo y inside Filling it with cargo would certainly mute most of the noise and the rattles but the manufacturing process will have to be such that everything is securely fastened down to avoid customer complaints Dont get me wrong its wasnt noisy per se but absent the roar of the engine everything else is just a little more obvious I navigated my way to McGuiness Ave across the Pulaski Bridge and up onto the Long Island Expressway I 495 and for a brief shining moment actually had the van up to 60 mph You want to talk about acceleration I got up to speed in no time and yes it was a bit noisier at highway speed Had I been loaded it might not have taken off as quickly but Im sure the performance SPECIFICATIONS Construction Unibody Overall Length 3181 inches Wheelbase 1943 inches Turning radius 266 feet Unladen weight 9921 lb GWW 16535 lb Cargo capacity 580 cu ft 6000 lb Cargo dimensions in 2035 L x 755 H x 77 W Battery capacity 70 kWh Motors 2 synchronous permanent magnet rear wheel drive Total Peak Power 198 hp Total Peak Torque 564 lb ft Top speed 80 mph