We love a cup of tea, so when we were asked to review a van with in-built tea-making facilities we jumped at the chance. Built on its popular Vivaro platform, Vauxhall's Vivaro Electrici-TEA concept van is a one-off built with the sole purpose of providing tradespeople with the means to make a cuppa when they’re on the job (so to speak). And it’s tea-riffic (sorry). Bad puns aside, building such a vehicle in a climate where smaller businesses still need convincing that electric vans will work for them is a good idea. The Vivaro Electric is a decent electric van in its own right – despite not having roof height options – with its 1000 kg payloads, max range of up to 219 miles, and up to 6.6 cubic metres of load space. The tea-making facilities, folding furniture and portable power units don’t take up too much room, and are neatly accessible keeping the van relatively practical. You can’t buy one, but the Electrici-TEA van proves a few things: vans really can be used for anything (within reason), sometimes the simplest PR campaigns are the best, and we’d all fit a powered mini kitchen in our vans if we could.
DISCLAIMER - The Vauxhall Vivaro Electrici-TEA is a one-off concept van and cannot be bought. Which is a shame if you've ever dreamed of owning a working vehicle with tea-making facilities.
Vauxhall is part of the Stellantis group and its Vivaro vans are now built at the company’s Ellesmere Port plant in the UK. The plant therefore falls within the company’s European manufacturing and supply chain network, which reduces its ‘embedded’ carbon footprint compared with electric vans built in more distant locations. We’re told that close to 60 per cent of the energy powering these European plants is from renewables. The company stated it aims to get this to 100 per cent by 2030, and halving water consumption in its plants by the same deadline (compared with 2021 levels). The Vivaro Electrici-TEA is a one-off vehicle that features an electrically-powered tea-making kitchen built into the van. The kitchen’s power units are three portable power packs that work independently of the vehicle’s own batteries meaning using the kitchen won’t eat into the vehicle’s range. It is an electric van, so that means zero tailpipe emissions and as much tea (within reason) that you can make until the portable power packs run out of charge.
Cargo & practicality
“You have to compromise on a smaller load volume, but the novelty of being able to stop anywhere and make a cuppa doesn’t wear off”
The only major differences between the Electrici-TEA and the standard Vivaro panel van is the installation of a small kitchenette behind the driver-side sliding door and three portable power units secured behind it. The passenger-side sliding door remains clear opening into the cargo area next to the load-through hatch in the bulkhead, and folding furniture (two chairs and one height-adjustable table) is lashed to the back wall of the kitchenette. The tea station includes an electric kettle, fridge, sink and sugar dispenser, with water fed to the sink from two tanks and electricity provided by three portable power units independent of the vehicle’s own battery pack. Powering up the kitchenette is a simple case of turning on the power units in the load space. If the UK is a country powered by tea, the Electrici-TEA van is a logical forward step in electric van technology. About the only compromise you have to make is the smaller load volume, but the novelty of being able to stop anywhere and make a cuppa doesn’t wear off quickly. We’d bet there are a few tradespeople looking at the pictures with envy.
Expert rating: 4/5
Interior
“We gently prodded the 'tea cup' button in the cabin a few times, but it's only there for comedy value”
For pure comedy value, the Electrici-TEA’s cabin features a button with a steaming cup of tea on it. It does nothing and we were warned it might crack if we pressed it too hard, so we only gently prodded it a few times. Other than the useless button, the Electrici-TEA gets all the new bits from the Vivaro’s recent facelift including a crisp 10-inch digital instrument cluster behind the control-covered steering wheel. The driver gets a six-way adjustable seat while passengers choose a side on the bench seat. There are lots of sockets and connections, and the centre of the dash is dominated by a 10-inch HD touch-screen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto… although the screen faces straight out rather than being angled towards the driver. Storage is fine with big door pockets, two glove boxes, and a cup holder at either end of the dashboard. It’s slightly cramped when compared to non-Stellantis medium vans, but it’s an easy-to-clean environment filled with durable plastics and fabrics. The only quibble we have is that the useless button could at least have rung a bell in the kitchenette… but you can’t have everything.
Expert rating: 4/5
Running costs
“Charge the van at home and costs will be based on your energy tariff, charge in public and you’re at the mercy of the company that owns the charger”
Being an electric van, the Electrici-TEA’s 219-mile maximum range is pretty good and not affected by using the tea-making facilities. Charging the vehicle’s battery pack or the kitchenette’s portable power units will cost you, but that cost will be dictated by the charging method you use. Charge the van at home and it’ll be based on your energy tariff, charge in public and you’re at the mercy of the company that owns the charger. You can’t buy this van, so the purchase price isn’t something to worry about.
Expert rating: 3/5
Reliability
“The tea-making facilities worked every time... although the sink pump was a bit sputtery”
Well, the tea-making facilities worked every time, although the sink pump was a bit sputtery to start up… but that always happens with electric water pumps in campers and motorhomes, too. The electric Vivaros are covered by the same three-year warranty and the vehicle’s battery packs (not the Electrici-TEA’s kitchen’s portable units) are covered by an eight-year warranty. You see a lot of electric Vivaro’s on-fleet with companies like Royal Mail, so that should be a good indication of their reliability.
Expert rating: 3/5
Performance
“There’s a bit of banging and bumping, most likely from things like the folding furniture needing tighter securing straps”
The Electrici-TEA’s 75kWh battery is capable of driving 219 miles on a full charge. The kitchenette installation means the van is always laden and its performance on the road remains good for a mid-sized van with a decent level of power and torque at your foot-tips. There’s a bit of banging and bumping, most likely from things like the folding furniture needing tighter securing straps, but the noise isn’t anything anyone familiar with driving a motorhome would be alarmed by.
Expert rating: 3/5
Ride and handling
“Vivaro vans already drive well, and the kitchenette adds a little permanent weight to the vehicle... which is a good thing”
Vivaro vans are a good drive and the electric’s driving experience is made cooler by the addition of steering wheel-mounted paddles to adjust the regenerative braking level. The first mode allows you to coast, the second adds a bit of ‘engine brake’ feel, and the third can stop the van completely without touching the brakes. Nice!
Expert rating: 4/5
Safety
“Dynamic Surround View, blind spot assistant and adaptive cruise control (on top of the standard kit) adds up to a decent package”
The Electrici-TEA benefits from the same driver assistance and safety systems as any other electric Vivaro. That means rear parking sensors, intelligent speed assistance, lane keep assist and driver attention alerts are all part of the standard package. Additional systems include Dynamic Surround View to help with parking, blind spot assistant and adaptive cruise control, which add up to a decent package. You just need to remember to switch off the portable power units in the back and not leave the tap running when you drive off!
Expert rating: 4/5
Equipment
“Everything you need to make a cup of tea, including a tea pot, cups and spoons, is here”
We’ve spoken at length about all of the various bits of kit you get with a standard electric Vivaro, so let’s just dwell on the simple fact it has a kitchenette hiding behind the driver-side sliding door dedicated to making the perfect cup of tea. Everything you need to make a cup of tea, including a tea pot, cups and spoons, is here. Such a shame you can’t buy the Electrici-TEA at your local dealership!
Expert rating: 5/5
Why buy?
“You can't buy one, but you could quite easily build this kind of mobile tea wagon yourself...”
Well… you can’t buy the Vauxhall Electrici-TEA because it’s a concept van, but you could quite easily build this kind of mobile tea wagon yourself. The vehicle’s best move is not using the main battery packs to run the kitchen and using mobile power units instead – you get your tea on demand without losing range. This vehicle proves something we always suspected: if your van is fitted with a kitchen then you will consume more tea. And we did. Now we need the loo again.
