Car giant to offer diesel-to-electric conversions in vans – report

Commercial van owners in France will soon be able to pay to swap their diesel engines for electric motors.

According to Automotive News Europe, Stellantis – the parent company of 14 brands including Opel, Vauxhall, Citroen, and Peugeot – has announced it will retrofit the diesel vans to run on battery power.

Pricing hasn't been disclosed, but it's understood the conversion costs less than €20,000 ($AU33,320) – with a focus on the French market, thanks to the French Government offering incentives of up to 40 per cent of the cost of the conversion, up to €10,000.

While the conversion could be considered expensive to many, it's still much cheaper than buying a brand-new electric commercial van.

The program is currently only open to the current generation of mid-size vans with the internal code-name 'K0', which applies to the Peugeot Expert, Citroen Jumpy, and the Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro.

It's not clear whether other 'K0' vans will be included in the program, such as the Fiat Scudo and Toyota ProAce – which are rebranded versions of the models referenced above.

Details of the conversion, including performance and driving range, have not yet been announced by the car giant.

However, it's understood the driving range will be less than that of the company's current line-up of electric vans on sale in Europe, which can offer between 224 and 350 kilometres on a single charge.

Stellantis rival Renault offers a similar conversion in France for its full-size Master commercial van, with a focus on vehicles manufactured more than five years ago.