► Farizon brand is owned by Geely group
► Electric SV van is fully drive-by-wire
► We test it at UK’s Millbrook Proving Ground
Could this be the most technologically-advanced new van on sale? Quite possibly. Beneath the modern, but cutesy styling, this electric Farizon SV van hides some next-gen technology that’s barely been commercialised in the automotive world.
Naturally, that piqued our interest. So, yes, while we’re driving a van – we’re more interested in what’s underneath…
At a glance
Pros: Balanced ride, smooth and relatively quiet, plenty of clever touches inside
Cons: By-wire tech currently feels underused, bongs a lot, some of the tech feels cheap
What’s new?
Well, let’s talk about the Farizon brand first. It was founded in 2016, is wholly owned by Geely Group and was formed to create commercial vehicles. In China, the Zhejiang Geely Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group – to give it its full, rather large name – has been manufacturing panel vans, buses and trucks of various shapes and sizes across that time.
This is the SV, which (and I’m not kidding) stands for Supervan. It’s a battery-electric panel van that Farizon is launching in the UK and Europe via automotive distributors Jameel Motors. It’s a ground-up development from the Farizon brand, including a design from Hervé Bertrand (who’s been designing commercial vehicles for quite some time, including at Renault, AB Volvo and Mack) and is already on sale in China. Even so, Farizon claims the SV is ‘designed primarily for Europe’ – and somehow manages to look a lot like the new, rather fetching, Renault Trafic.
Underneath the SV is a rather interesting battery-electric architecture that will likely spawn a selection of body styles. Interesting because it uses by-wire technology. Of course, an element of by-wire tech in cars isn’t new; many cars have shift-by-wire technology these days, while Infiniti tried (and failed) to get steer-by-wire mainstream back in the mid-2010s. Toyota and Lexus has One Motion Grip, a steer-by-wire system available as an option on the respective bZ4X and RZ. Ferrari, meanwhile, uses brake-by-wire technology on the 12Cilindri, Purosangue, 296 and SF90. Bosch is also trialling a number of by-wire technologies.
However, Farizon claims that the SV is the first production vehicle that’s fully drive-by-wire: steering, brakes, throttle and shifting. Farizon says using by-wire technology allows for greater energy recovery, small range increases compared to conventional controls, shorter braking distances and more responsive steering.
What are the specs?
Farizon offers three lengths (L1 is 4990mm, L2 is 5490mm and L3 is 5995mm) and three heights (H1 is 1980mm, H2 is 2180mm and H3 is 2500) in limited combinations with each other. Either 67 or 83kWh lithium iron phosphate or 106kWh nickel manganese cobalt batteries can be chosen – again, depending on the size combo you’ve chosen. Prices start from £45k for the smallest 67kWh van and top out at £56k for the biggest van with the 106kWh pack.
Naturally, range figures are all over the place depending on battery and physical sizes of the SV you choose. The one that can go the furthest according to its WLTP claim is the largest van with the 106kWh battery at 247 miles. For reference, an L1H1 configuration with the 87kWh battery pack (like the one we’ve tested in the images) claims up to 234 miles. With us tooling around Millbrook in it, max range claims were hovering around the 220-mile mark. Ditto charging: the 67 and 106kWh packs can take up to 120kW DC charging, with the 87kWh pack capable of 140kW. The smallest SV can carry at least 1265kg, with the largest still capable of carrying a tonne.
Regardless of your size of battery or, er… van, power output and spec is all the same. That means a single e-motor developing 228bhp driving the front wheels, with the smallest version capable of an 8.3sec 0-62mph sprint… when it’s empty. All can tow up to two tonnes of braked trailer.
What’s it like to drive?
Overall, we’d say this was very much drifting towards ID.Buzz territory in how much feels like a car to drive – which is a compliment. The ride is neatly judged, which is likely helped by car-like double wishbone front suspension and hilariously large sidewalls in the tyres. Ditto the overall cabin ambiance; save for the clattering from our 600kg demonstrator payload in the load area, the SV felt reasonably quiet and smooth even at motorway speeds on the lumpy and rough tarmac of Millbrook’s high-speed bowl test track.
Drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – affect throttle response and regen. Normal has the least amount of regen by default, allowing for an engine braking-like effect from the SV. Eco absolutely kills dead the throttle and sets regen to mid-level, while Sport vastly enhances the throttle response and gives you the strongest regen available – perfect for the in-a-hurry delivery driver. That said, the highest regen isn’t the full one-pedal experience.
What felt disappointing, though, was the steering. The whole ‘it doesn’t feel like the wheels are connected to the steering’ is a bit ironic here, given they physically aren’t connected here, but there just doesn’t feel like a lot going on. It’s very neutral and, in places, a little vague – felt most around the tight turns on Millbrook’s city course. It’s also a bit of a shame, given the use of by-wire technology here, that there’s no handy ‘city mode’ or something for the steering that allows low-effort steering inputs for vastly increased wheel rotation. That said, Bertrand has told us that kind of thing can be a future upgrade, given how flexible by-wire tech can be.
What’s the interior like?
The overall design is very clean and feels modern. On first glance, this doesn’t feel like the typical van interior that’s beset with wheelie bin-spec plastics and a you’re-lucky-to-have-one-at-all radio. There’s a large, wide central screen and handy driver’s display for all your essential info as well as – hurrah – a set of physical switches for climate control functions.
There are some neat design details, including chunky door handles and flecks of orange scattered around, as well as two handy storage areas directly below the climate controls. Elsewhere, Farizon has included a ‘payload monitoring system’ – effectively a scale to make sure you don’t go over the legal maximum weight that you can read in the driver’s instruments – and features vehicle-to-load technology.
All of the buttons, including those on the thick-rimmed steering wheel, are chunky and feel robust. There’s a reasonable amount of adjustment in the driver’s seat with lots of reclining potential but the steering wheel only has rake adjustment.
Farizon makes a big fuss about the SV having now B-pillar that connects the passenger door with the side door for the cargo area, but we’re not actually sure why. While it supposedly allows for the ability to open the passenger door more, it doesn’t seem to affect the load area at all.
There are some quirks, though. The infotainment doesn’t feel that polished; it’s relatively straight forward, with many of the van’s key functions accessible quickly but it’s a little laggy and some of the menus are a little confusing. That lag can be seen most via the reversing camera, which appears to have a small delay in feeding back the view from the screen into the camera – potentially setting you up for a bumper prang.
The bongs for many of the car’s systems are also irritatingly loud, and it even bongs harshly when you’re simply changing drive mode or brake regen via the handy physical buttons.
Before you buy
Naturally, vans of this size make up a very competitive part of the market. The smallest version is similar to the Ford e-Transit Custom, which claims a smaller payload, around 100bhp less power and around 30 miles lower range for the same price as the SV. Farizon has some stats in its favour then. Your other electric option is the VW ID.Buzz Cargo, which does trade more on looks and a longer range than either the Ford or Farizon – for a price.
Interestingly, Farizon only offers one equipment level, too, which is fully loaded. There’s no base-spec fleet model with nowt on it that could lower the price further – even if the SV is competitive without the need to be.
Verdict: Farizon SV van
Modern looks and modern tech hide a so-so driving experience. It feels like Farizon has barely scratched the surface with what it can do with the SV’s drive-by-wire platform, making it all feel resolutely normal from behind the wheel.
In some ways that neutrality and normal-ness will be a good thing, given Farizon is a completely unknown quantity in the van market in Europe and will need to act that way to convince some to buy one. But the counter to that is that its by-wire-ness feels underutilised.
On paper, it’s an interesting and competitive alternative to the van world’s norm – but it feels more designed for those who just want one of them rather than a massive fleet.
Specs are for a Farizon SV L1H1 87kWh