The Farizon SV has competed in this year’s Greenfleet Explorer EV Rally, achieving “exceptional efficiency” and posting stats that validate the vehicle’s official homologated numbers, the company says.
On 1 – 5 September, three Farizon SVs were driven by journalists, prospective customers and fleet managers in the UK-wide real-world rally, covering an average of 1,043 miles each. The Farizon SV was put through its paces between prescribed daily start, finish and checkpoint stops. The circuitous route started in Newquay in Cornwall in the southwest of the UK and took the rally participants onto motorways, trunk roads and rural and urban routes as it skirted the Dorset and Hampshire coasts, crossed Kent, the East Midlands, Suffolk, the West Midlands, the Peak District and finished in Knutsford in Cheshire.
Data from an independent telematics provider that monitored each of the vans throughout the rally showed that the largest variant of the SV, the L3H3 with a 106kWh battery, exceeded its official WLTP efficiency rating by 9.7%, achieving 2.402 mi/kWh across the five-day event.
The L2H2 variant of the SV, fitted with a 83kWh battery, exceeded its official efficiency rating by 1.5%, and the L1H1 on the event posted efficiency within 7.25% of its official homologated numbers.
The performance of the Farizon SV during the rally was notable, particularly given that the vehicles were not lightly loaded. One van powered a fridge for the duration of the event, running from the SV’s 3.3kW vehicle-to-load sockets in the rear load area. Another was fitted with a Sortimo bespoke racking system, while a third was carrying bulky event kit. Each van had participants’ luggage and a mixture of two or three people on board.
“People are used to taking the official range and efficiency stats with a pinch of salt, so I’m very proud that the data collected demonstrates just how efficient the Farizon SV is in the real world, on real roads and with realistic loads in the back, all with multiple drivers throughout the test period”, said Calum James, general manager of Farizon UK.
“This validation of the SV’s operational efficiency will instil even greater confidence among our customers. The resulting message is clear: the SV will deliver for businesses, day after day.”
The electric Farizon SV was designed from the ground up to be the most efficient medium to large 3.5-metric ton van on the market. This efficiency is achieved partly through minimizing the curb weight. With advanced materials for the body and chassis, innovative by-wire controls, energy-dense batteries, cell-to-pack battery packaging and a low-mass wheel design, the SV is 38.5kg lighter than its competitors.
Further efficiency has been achieved through an aerodynamically optimized body design (drag coefficient of just Cd 0.29), liquid cooling and heating to keep batteries at ideal operating temperatures and an advanced motor that delivers up to 94.2% efficiency.
In related news, UK’s Faraday Institution pledges £9m for advanced battery research and commercial scale-up