What is it?

The Farizon SV is a large electrically-powered van that marks the debut of the brand, the commercial arm of Chinese giant Geely, in the UK and in fact Europe as a whole.

As we report here, Jameel Motors, charged with distributing Farizon (Far-eye-zon) in the UK, expects to shake up the electric van market with the SV. While unknown in Europe Farizon was the first Chinese brand to produce a full-electric drivetrain – in China the brand makes a vast range of commercial vehicles extending to HGVs and buses.

The SV is described as a clean-sheet design with distinctive features and a lightweight construction that offers a number of perceived advantages, particularly over electric rivals that have been converted from traditional vans.

Among end-users the greatest concern with electric vans tends not to be carrying capacity but range – how far they will go and how long they will need to recharge. The SV will be available in the UK in eight different varieties, across three battery packs and Farizon claims all three will beat rivals hands-down on range.

The stock L1 H1 and L2 H2 versions can be had with a 67 kWh or 83 kHh lithium-ion unit. The L1 H2 and L2 H3 come exclusively with the 83 kWh pack while this is also in the top L3 H3 model, which can alternatively be supplied with a 106 kWh pack of nickel manganese cobalt construction.

In terms of mileage, these vans are WLTP-certified from 177 to 247 miles on the combined cycle, 233 to 342 on the city cycle. As for charging, all three batteries will take 120 kW DC units, the 106 kWh up to 140, with which a 20 to 80% recharge will take from 36 to 40 minutes. AC charging from 15% to full on an 11 kW wallbox takes between 6.5 and 10.5 hours.

So how about capacity? The L1 H1 will take just under seven cubic metres of cargo, ranging up to 13 for the L3 H3 – this is claimed to be 20% better than the nearest rival offerings.

In terms of payload, the ZV scores by weighing in at around 40kg less than those rivals, which means it can take between 1035 and 1350kg – again claimed as class-leading. This by the way can be accurately kept an eye on by means of standard-fit load-monitoring electronics which show the exact weight on the 12-inch touchscreen mounted in the centre of the cabin.

Loading the van is said to be very easy. The low-mounted battery pack produces a floor height of just 55cm, while the side-loading door opens up a one-metre wide space – have it on the kerbside and opening both cargo and passenger door (the latter swinging to 82 degrees) reveals an opening of some 1.8 metres due to the unique design that lacks a traditional, and space-intrusive, B pillar.

Farizon is also heavily promoting the fact that the ZV uses a combination of drive-by-wire technology – effectively meaning that the steering wheel is not physically  connected to the front wheels but transmits its commands electronically – and a double wishbone front suspension. This, a rare feature on a van, is described as producing a driving experience more akin to a car.

Prices for the Farizon SV range from £45,000 to £56,000 excluding VAT, which is highly competitive. Farizon adds that the standard equipment offered with the single trim level represents around around £3,000 worth of extra value. Highlights alongside the load monitoring system include heated and ventilated main front seats and heating on the steering wheel and windscreen, Apple CarPlay connectivity, a 360-degree around-view monitor and a liner for the rear load bay.

One other aspect that has to be mentioned is the safety specification. A full menu of ADAS electronic aids are included as standard, and when the SV was tested by Euro NCAP it earned a platinum rating, dubbed as one of the safest vans currently on sale in Europe.

What do we think of it?

On first viewing there is quite a lot to like about the Farizon SV – the quest for electric range-friendly aerodynamics results in a quite sharply slanted windscreen, the angle continuing on a virtual straight line to below bonnet level – this in turn promotes a very good view out of the cabin.

The load bay is of practical shape with minimal intrusions, while the absence of a B pillar on the nearside is certainly novel – combined with the wide side-opening door certainly makes for easy loading.

The cabin is nicely laid out with trim details that raise it above the utilitarian interiors that have been a feature of LCVs in the past – it’s details like this that add a great deal of credence to designer Hervé Bertrand’s assertion that he really was able to start from a clean sheet and produce what he wanted, rather than following the lead of previous vehicles he has created over many years for the likes of Renault and Volvo.

Bring the van to life via on/off button and select drive from a stalk on the right of the steering wheel, and the SV glides away. Pleasingly it’s not silent – instead emitting a low electronic tone which is not intrusive at all, in fact almost comforting.

Suggesting that a van drives like a car is a very brave statement open to scepticism, especially among journalists, but the SV certainly comes close. The electronic steering is light but not too so, with enough feedback to inspire confidence, while the less than weighty construction of the vehicle makes it very easy to hustle it along.

The launch event set out to prove this theory by focusing the driving on the industry vehicle proving ground at Millbrook in Bedfordshire, customers varying from OEMs to the military using the facilities to test their products.

The SV was put through its paces on test tracks the included the perfectly circular banked high-speed bowl, where the van bowled along happily at 75mph, on city and handling courses with a load in the back, and on the most challenging of Millbrook’s tracks, the hill route – this is a 2.3-mile blend of up and down gradients and bends varying from sweeping to hairpin, each offering a different challenge.

It was one the Farizon cheerfully accepted – the more time spent in this vehicle, the easier to drive it becomes, to the point where one could indeed imagine being at the wheel of a car.

As mentioned the view out front is excellent while the big side mirrors and rear parking camera help with reversing into tight spaces. But one useful addition would be a digital rear-view mirror, as is becoming the norm on Stellantis vans.

It’s a minor point, however – overall the Farizon SV ticks all of the boxes and is without doubt a major new player in the market, one that can only help to increase the currently stuttering pace of electric van adoption in the UK.

• Tested model: Farizon SV L1 H1
• Price: £45,000 (basic)
• Drivetrain: Front-mounted single electric motor
• Power/torque: 231hp, 336Nm
• 0-62mph, top speed: 12 sec (approx), 84 mph
• Range: 177 – 247 miles
• CO2 emissions: 0g/km

Scores 

Design 8.5             Comfort 8.5
Practicality 8.5   Value for Money 8
Safety 9             On the road 8

Overall:  8.5/10

Business Vans First Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Full Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.