VM Driving Report Addax MT15n: Belgian Bonsai Truck Hauls Like a Buzz

The small electric vehicle really has a lot to offer: an actual three-way tipper, for example, with a large toolbox behind the cabin wall. Or up to four cubic meters of volume in a box. Or a competent refrigerated truck, such as Aldi Süd uses for its pilot test in food delivery. Or a garbage tipper. And so on and so forth; the range of the chassis is enormous. The light electric transporter Addax MT15n rolled onto our publishing courtyard on the back of a car trailer, towed by a brand-new VW Amarok pick-up. But of course, from Belgium to Munich on its own wheels, such a vehicle is not meant for that if you want to keep a tight schedule, as the Addax people did on this winter day.

After that, the electric truck zips through the wintry city traffic all the more nimbly, providing mobile proof that less can be more. Less space, for example: The light electric vehicle, registered according to the "normal" N1 transporter standard, measures only 3.65 meters in length, not to mention the 1.45 meters width (with flatbed), which lets the electric van park almost seamlessly by the roadside should a loading zone be unavailable on site once again. With a height of 1.99 meters, the light vehicle is also suitable for underground garages, which is not insignificant when you think of market deliveries or micro depots, for example.

Hauls as much as a 3-tonner

How much payload can the small electric workhorse handle? Amazingly, Addax sales manager Michael Menkhoff provides the answer: Depending on the version, the E-van can shoulder up to a ton. That's as much as full-grown 3.0-ton transporters are allowed to carry – and at least a third more than, for example, a VW ID.Buzz Cargo, which with 3.9 cubic meters of volume doesn't carry more freight than the Addax in its optionally available aluminum box body with wing doors and side opening (7,500 euros). By contrast, the VW measures two meters in both width and height and requires 4.60 meters in length. Clearly, this is an "apples to oranges" comparison. But when it comes purely to "transport tasks," the city flea from Deerlijk can do no less than the high-end electric vehicle from Hanover.

The electric dwarf has a towing capacity of 1.2 tons!

In some areas, even more: Because Menkhoff's information on the towing capacity also surprises: 1.2 tons are allowed to be braked on the hook, 200 kilos more than the ID.Buzz. Okay, one is also amazed at the price. Because with a suitcase and a few extras (power steering, Webasto auxiliary heater or air conditioning + heating, central locking, Type 2 charger), the LEV, starting at 30,900 in the base with an 8-kWh battery (WLTP 60 km), surpasses the 40,000 mark and almost reaches the level of the not-so-cheap VW Buzz. In the 15 model, at least the larger battery is installed, which offers 14.4 kWh capacity instead of 8 kWh and is supposed to come 132 kilometers as a 55 km/h version according to WLTP. The ID.Buzz goes three times as far, but also has a lithium-ion storage from CATL in the underbody that is five times larger. Well, and it also weighs 2.5 tons empty, two and a half times as much...

Which brings us to the "eco-rating": As a suitcase version, the small electric vehicle transports a good 750 kilograms for 132 kilometers, with a robust and environmentally friendly and heated LFP battery, mind you, which Addax packages themselves from Far East cells at their factory and also takes care of reprocessing. It's enough to install a resource-saving 3.6 kW charger for the household plug, with which one is back in action as quickly as the ID.Buzz in 6.5 hours. Or you can order a Type 2 plug with 6.6 kW and continue work after 2.5 hours. In terms of resources, the mini-electrician is clearly in the lead. Oh, and the manufacturer grants five years warranty on the battery, two years on the overall vehicle.

Downsizing in the true sense: ground-level entry

Of course, the whole concept cannot compete with conventional vans in terms of comfort. But it doesn't have to: True to the downsizing motto "Less is more," there is a radically reduced cabin, which can be easily entered on the ground level through the counter-opening doors, and one is quite well "bedded" on not-so-bad seats. Additionally, the "glass cockpit" proves to be wide and spacious, with no pinching at the shoulders or legs, and you can easily move from the driver's side to the passenger's side, thanks to the flat floor. And: Despite an ice-cold winter day, it is pleasantly warm in the cabin. In addition to the optional electric heater, which would fit strictly into the concept, a Biodiesel Webasto (1,675 euros) AirTop is installed here, doing justice to its good reputation.

Keep it simple: The cockpit omits what is not needed

The central speedometer with an unpretentious TFT display provides all the necessary information, and in a submenu even numerous details about operating voltage and battery status. Below that are a few buttons for the few basic functions, such as "Forward-Reverse-Neutral," central locking, ESP Off, hill start assist, or windshield heating. And dear smokers, there is still a cigarette lighter here. However, there is no need for power windows since it has sliding windows. And a handbrake lever serves reliably instead of an electric parking brake. The visibility in the bright cabin is fantastic, the cutouts in the doors ensure even small children are not hidden, and the elongated mirrors are appropriate for the vehicle's format.

So, how does this utility vehicle, which only weighs a mere 900 kilograms when empty, drive? Not bad at all, one must say. Thanks to coil springs and independent suspension all around, the E-Van, for a forward-control vehicle with the seat on the axle, even swings surprisingly comfortably over manhole covers, waves, or traffic calming measures like a small sedan chair. The steel frame chassis proves to be stiff and stable, the bodywork does not rattle or work much, and the road holding is just as secure and respectable, thanks to a low center of gravity provided by the battery. The optional power steering, though easy to operate, offers little road feel. However, it allows one to turn almost on the spot. The short wheelbase enables a turning circle of 4.5 meters.

The motor mounted on the rear axle is no powerhouse, being a relatively quiet synchronous machine from an Italian supplier, but the 12.5 kW output is sufficient so that one is not perceived as a traffic obstacle but instead swims along passably. Thanks to a differential, the LEV should not have to capitulate on slopes and ramps, let alone when towing a trailer (see above). The unit transmits 120 Nm of torque to the rear wheels, which is respectable for a combination that weighs about 1.5 tons when loaded.