Whilst I generally don’t write about models that Australia is unlikely to see, some definitely deserve an ‘honourable mention’ – especially when they express longer-term plans to bring the model here.
As an interesting option for those looking for a van without the usual ‘boring box’ look, the recently shown pre-production example of the Morris JE van certainly takes the cake. It was unveiled at Everything Electric West in the UK last weekend.
Morris Commercial* revealed their 21st century interpretation of the Morris J van. Originally produced by Morris between 1949 and 1961, the new Morris JE is a full-electric van built on an aluminium skateboard platform with a carbon-fibre body. Future production plans for the skateboard platform include ute, minibus and camper derivatives.
Specifications include a 1000 kg payload and up to 6 cubic metre cargo volume. Due to its light weight construction, GVM (gross vehicle mass) is only 2,500 kg. Range on its largest battery option (83 kWh) is expected to be around 500 km.
Production of the van (for the UK market only at this stage) is slated for pilot production to begin in 2027, with commercial-scale production to commence in South Wales in 2028.
Their website states: “Reservations will start later in 2026. Deliveries will start from mid-2027. The JE will be available first to UK-based customers who have paid a refundable reservation. Following the domestic launch, we will commence deliveries to our international customers in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America and further afield.”
Pricing at this stage though is a somewhat eye-watering £69,000 (Au$131,200). It will be interesting to see which (if any) businesses feel the need to stand-out with a cute looking van that is almost twice the cost of a Farizon SV or the upcoming Kia PV5, let alone more than twice that of the upcoming LDV eDeliver 5.
Sadly, like many start-ups, I personally won’t be holding my breath for it to arrive in Australia. Plans to export usually fall by the wayside, or get drawn out many years past the originally optimistic promises.
(Think Tesla Model 3 for years-long delays, or the Rivian R1 that was promised for Australia by 2022, but will never arrive, despite Rivian becoming an established brand in the US). However, it is nice to dream sometimes. 😊
Further information: https://morris-commercial.com/
* Note:
The originally UK brand name ‘Morris’ is now owned by Chinese giant SAIC. ‘Morris Commercial’ is an unrelated EV start-up.
Bryce Gaton is an expert on electric vehicles and contributor for The Driven and Renew Economy. He has been working in the EV sector since 2008 and is currently working as EV electrical safety trainer/supervisor for the University of Melbourne. He also provides support for the EV Transition to business, government and the public through his EV Transition consultancy EVchoice.