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Volvo And Renault's New Flexis Vans Are Fast-Charging 'Skateboard' EVs

The three vans sit on a new 800-volt platform that enables 20-minute charging top-ups to 80%.

Flexis Electric Van Lineup

Photo by: Flexis

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jan 30, 2025 at 8:09am ET

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Flexis announced it will sell three all-electric vans in Europe starting next year.
The company is a joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group and French shipping giant CMA CGM.
The vans are based on a bespoke 800-volt electrical architecture and run a Google-based software experience.

Designing a cool, futuristic electric van is one thing, but bringing it to the market and making money is extremely difficult. Just ask Arrival and Canoo about this. However, when you have two carmaking heavyweights and a shipping giant backing you up, the outcome has a better chance of being positive instead of having a PR team announcing yet another startup bankruptcy.

That’s what Flexis, a new name in the European electric commercial vehicle space, is hoping for. A joint venture between Renault Group, Volvo Group and French logistics specialist CMA CGM, the new brand debuted three battery-powered vans. And the technology powering them is quite interesting.

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Specs are still thin at the moment, but we know that all the models are powered by an 800-volt battery pack on a "skateboard" EV platform that can be replenished to 80% state of charge in just 20 minutes. A single, front-mounted, 197-horsepower electric motor provides motivation. A Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platform based on Google’s Android operating system comes on top of all the hardware and offers Google Cloud connectivity and comprehensive fleet management options.

Speaking of fleets, the three battery-powered vans will be offered under a business-to-business (B2B) model, but Renault Group and Renault Trucks said they would also sell them under their own brands in their sales networks.

Rather confusingly, Renault Group—which makes passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles—is a separate company from Renault Trucks, a subsidiary of Volvo Group that builds big rigs. Moreover, Volvo Group does not include Volvo Cars, which makes models like the EX90.

Gallery: Flexis Electric Vans (2025)

Flexis Cargo Van (2025)

Flexis Cargo Van (2025) Flexis Electric Van Lineup Flexis Panel Van (2025)

Source: Flexis

The lineup of vans begins with the Step-In model, which has the same footprint as a gas-powered Ford Transit Connect but a much taller, 6.2-foot cabin height, front sliding doors and a rear shutter door—a first in Europe.

Second is the Panel Van, an electric model more similar to the Ford Transit Custom. It has an overall height of 6.2 ft, allowing it to enter underground city parking and garages with ease. In Europe, most underground parking garages have a maximum height of 6.5 ft, so this can fit just fine.

Finally, there’s the Cargo Van. It’s based on the same bones as the Step-In van but has a separate cargo area at the rear. Flexis said this model is adapted for urban last-mile delivery services and that the cargo box can have different sizes, depending on the operating company’s needs.

Flexis Electric Van Lineup

Photo by: Flexis

The joint venture’s approach to creating an EV van from the ground up is similar to that of Rivian: develop a skateboard platform that can accommodate pretty much any body type, then tie everything together with a solid software experience. That said, Flexis will have its work cut out for it, as other heavyweights are eyeing Europe as their next market.

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Kia is one of those heavyweights, with the Korean automaker announcing last year that it would start selling its funky-looking software-defined vehicles (SDVs) in the region this summer.

Flexis already has commitments from big names like Colis Prive, Hived and DB Schenker, and estimates a potential demand of up to 15,000 vehicles over three years. The electric vans will be manufactured at Renault Group’s Sandouville plant in France with deliveries set to begin next year.

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