New electric van start-up FLYNT plans to launch a new van next year that’s been specifically designed for Europe.
Built in China but with a European base, we sit down with FLYNT founders Daniel Kirchert and Laura Peschke for a quick Q&A about this latest new name in the large electric van market.
Read more about this new start-up in our Who is FLYNT article
Van Reviewer: The van covers quite a large size range, tell us more about it and what segments do you see this in?
Daniel Kirchert: We wanted to be able to cover different segments with one product, and due to the fact that this architecture is very flexible we decided now for three wheelbase dimensions, 310, 340 and 390.
We have three lengths the 5.35m, 5.50m and 6m. There’s also four heights, the smallest one, it is still possible [to get into] the parking lot, at 2.05m and it goes up to 2.85m
Let's say it’s the higher end of the mid-size, like the Transit Custom or Vito, which typically, in many cases, is more in the cities for last mile transport, and also the craftsmen. Then up to the very big one, where especially in Germany, the last mile is this 15 to 17 cubic metre segment.
We want to be able to cover something there, and also for the camping van market we needed the bigger variant. We want to be ready to be the choice chassis to be used for this camping van segment, when they're going to start to switch to electric.
That's also why we decided to put in such a big battery.
We have three batteries. For last mile, the 55kWh is already good enough, with a daily range of 100km. We also have a 75kWh. Both of these are very good LFP batteries from GAC. The biggest battery is NMC chemistry and it's 100kWh. We can achieve up to 500km range.
For the campers, we believe this is very important, and there's also some other use cases for some craftsmen and some delivery scenarios.
When can we expect to see the FLYNT van in the UK?
We will start in Germany, and also Norway, because Germany is more our home base where we have to done a lot of pre-work already.
Norway, of course, it really is ahead for passenger vehicles, and it is getting there for commercial vehicles. There is not the perfect product yet for the market, so there is opportunity. We are going to roll out step-by-step, and the UK is on our roadmap for 2027. Around one year later than the rest of the markets.
It's very important we get the service network in place and up and running before we start selling. We're putting a huge emphasis on this, to find the right partners. Ideally, we would look for an importer, a partner in a market who has also the aftersales network already existing, so that we don't need to build it up. It will be supported by a European parts distribution centre, which we are going to build up.
They [Norway] need four wheel drive vehicles, so far there's just a very limited choice, and even less choice for electric ones. It's also one of the reasons why our vehicle will also have a four wheel drive version.
We're starting with front wheel drive, but also plan to have all wheel drive and rear wheel drive versions as well.
Does that mean you’ll launch in Norway without four-wheel drive?
Yes. When we start to launch, it will not be immediately available, but it will be available soon.
This is still an ongoing discussion. We try to work at China speed, so not like in the rest of the world where variants take a few years, but more like a couple of months. This is still a discussion we have to have with our Chinese partner, to try to get this as early as possible.
How will the supply chain work with parts from China?
One of the first things we did was talk with the big logistic companies for the parts supply, and we will not do that ourselves. We will have a partner who hosts a European warehouse, and we want to have all parts available in Europe all the time, with an express service capability to deliver into all of Europe overnight. That's super important
If they have 10 days of downtime before the part arrives, it's a no go. Part supply is super important, and the second one, of course, is to have a good service network.
That's also why, in the service network, we don't need to reinvent the wheel, so we will partner with strong partners who have a strong service network, and we will also work with independent service chains.
In a market like Germany, for example, we want to have 100 service points ready before we start to sell. This is something we have not finalised, but if there is a case where a van can't be fixed, we want to give a mobility guarantee.
We set up the company in the Netherlands because it's a good base for us. Also logistically, with the parts and the vehicles and the vehicles arriving from China.
Will there be versions of this van sold in China?
Not really. It is a platform model in China. [The first vehicle] is a small bus, it’s around a 15 passenger bus, Level 4 autonomous. It still has a driver seat, and it has been handed over to the first customers in China. It's mainly used in government development zones, university campuses and so on as a small transportation vehicle.
The second product they are working it's just a container on a skateboard. Basically no space for anyone to go in. They're working with the leading Chinese e-commerce giants to make that a robot truck.
Our project is the third one, so this is really exclusively for Europe. It will be sold under the FLYNT name, not under other brands.
Who do you see as the main competitor to the FLYNT van?
I think the traditional competitors, it's the known suspects. It's the Stellantis models, like the Fiat Ducato. It's the Mercedes Sprinter, and the Renault Master. Is a strong product, and in the smaller segment [it’s a rival to] the E-Transit Custom and Mercedes eVito. Let's say [it rivals anything] eight cubic metres and above. And then, of course, there's a couple of new players as well. Important competitors, like BYD and Geely, with the Farizon van, and there will also be Flexis.
Kia starts a bit on the smaller side [with PV5], but they will also have something in the bigger segment [PV7 and PV9], so these are the most important competitors. How do we want to differentiate ourselves? I believe when we hit the market in 2026, I hope we will be a state of the art in the product, in the charging and the 800V architecture, the efficiency of the van, and then, of course, its TCO.
Without a dedicated sales network, how do you plan to sell these vans?
Laura Peschke: There's big opportunities in social media and digital marketing to really target those guys. I'm following a lot of carpenters and craftsmen now on social media myself, and I get so much content. It's really cool what you can do with TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to really address those guys with perfectly fitting content for their use cases.
I think that it will be also key to create a brand they can relate to a lot. You don't need, you know, Jason Statham as The Transporter, but you need to actually work on a communication level with those use cases of the real life. That's our opinion, then we would like to go for online sales, and really push for the funnel.
What are the sales expectations for the FLYNT van?
DR: In the first year ’26, we haven't put high sales targets because it's very important to make the first batch of customers happy. In case we still have issues, we can use the feedback to fix it, and slowly ramp up.
I also don't expect customers immediately to buy 1000 units. It will take one unit or five units and try it out. If it's good, after a couple of months, give us feedback and then make a big order?
So that's why we take this very pragmatic approach. When we started, like, one and a half years ago, we approached some of these logistic companies and talked to them. We didn't want to sell anything to them. So they worked with us, and I want to keep it in the spirit so we make the product better. We will try to get a few early prototypes over before the market launch to give them to customers.
If you asked me about success in ’26 we have to say it’s to have our first five to 10 customers. If we can make them happier we would be very excited.
It can't happen overnight. It’s for the mid- to long-term in terms of volume. Our analysis shows that the segment for the whole of Europe is around 1.5m new vans per year. I think with our product, we can maybe cover 70% of that in terms of the size. If you can get the 1 to 2% sometime, I think that would be great.
You mentioned a camper version, will that be your own or will you just sell the chassis?
We will have the van, we have the chassis, and then you can also build your box on it. Like you have for some delivery, [Luton] furniture, transporters and so on. We are talking with the related companies who are doing these kind of changes to make sure that we have all their requirements covered. But we will have that chassis version right from the beginning.
We will give them over to a professional camper van builder, and we are discussing on exactly how they like to have it right now. We can really make sure now this van is developed in a way that it fits the needs.
The FLYNT van will go on sale in Europe next year, with UK deliveries in right hand driver expected in 2027. Stay tuned to Van Reviewer for more from FLYNT.
