Commercial electric vehicle startup Arrival has announced that its Van has achieved EU certification and received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EUWVTA).
This electric delivery van is the brand's second vehicle to receive EU certification and EUWVTA after the Arrival Bus last month. Arrival says it has successfully completed all the required functional and safety testing to achieve European Whole Vehicle Type Approval, which is a critical step towards starting trials with customers in the coming months.
The company expects to start production of the Van at its so-called "microfactory" in Bicester, UK, in the third quarter of 2022.
"This version of the vehicle we started in 2020, so to have passed all certification tests in this short time frame is a truly monumental achievement by the whole team. We now look forward to starting production later this year and delivering vehicles to our customers, in order to help to make cleaner air for cities all over the world."
Denis Sverdlov, Founder and CEO at Arrival
Gallery: Arrival Van revised prototype
Looking at the model's dedicated page on Arrival's website, we noticed several changes in the Van's design compared to the revised version shown in March 2021. While the shape of the body stays the same, the electric van replaces the small round headlights with horizontal units styled to resemble those of the Arrival Car ride-hailing vehicle; in addition, the front passenger door gains a second window in the lower half for improved visibility.
Other changes we could spot include the more prominent front bumper, new cameras mounted at the top of the front doors and a repositioned front wiper. Inside the cabin, the driver's seat appears to be new and features armrests on both sides while the dashboard features different materials and adds air vents, a new 16-inch central touchscreen and a revised steering wheel.
Arrival fails to mention any of these updates, but they appear consistent with the company's promise to "continually update and test its vehicles, in order to deliver the best possible product and experience for customers." It is not clear if the EV startup has made any technical changes over the previous version.
Arrival notes it has received over 140,000 non-binding letters of interest and orders for variants of the Van but doesn't say how many of the latter it actually has.
