Saw this today and I have no idea what it is. My google-fu didn't get anything close to it.
Saw this today and I have no idea what it is. My google-fu didn't get anything close to it.
It is a VPG MV-1. They have them all over the place here in Jacksonville. They run on CNG or Propane if I remember correctly.
Too slow....
Thanks! Pretty interesting vans. It's the first I've seen around here.
Is that the thing that was taking P71 frames and adding the van body on top?
In reply to moparman76_69:
Yup.
pimpm3 wrote: Too slow....
The 5000+ lb curb weight probably has something to do with that... and I like how the website says it has a 24 gal fuel tank with a 350 mile range... I guess they're hoping the average joe won't do the math: 14.5 MPG. Ouch.
I had a friend (now deceased) who was in a wheel chair and my aunt with MS has a van as well, so I'm familiar with converted vans, so I can see the appeal of this concept. Still, at that weight and cargo configuration (there's no indication the rear seat can be removed), it's pretty much a one-trick pony.
In reply to Ian F:
I too had had a friend (now deceased) who was in a wheel chair and after a converted school bus and several dodge vans and two fords he got a Sprinter and that van was the best thing he ever had. 27.8mpg from Ma to the Springfield IL Mile track. along with several trips to Daytona for bike week races the Sprinter was the ticket. If I was looking for a van i'd be looking at Sprinters
Ian F wrote:pimpm3 wrote: Too slow....The 5000+ lb curb weight probably has something to do with that... and I like how the website says it has a 24 gal fuel tank with a 350 mile range... I guess they're hoping the average joe won't do the math: 14.5 MPG. Ouch.
They really weren't being marketed as vans. They are mostly used as accessible taxis and para transit vehicles. Some of the fleets by my have used them to replace cutaway Ford van buses on some of their runs with lower ridership. They are smaller and cheaper to run than the bus but can still handle two wheelchair customers.
In reply to Wally:
And I imagine they can fit in places where a normal van cannot - like city parking garages. My friend bought a low-roof van in hopes it could fit, but it turned out to still be too tall and he wished he'd gotten a raised roof version.
In reply to 44Dwarf:
If I could afford a new van with things like a warranty, then I'd absolutely get a Sprinter. Unfortunately, I cannot, and the difference in the purchase prices between used Sprinters and used gas vans can buy a lot of gas... and with fewer of the risks involved with buying a used Mercedes...
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