THESE are the first images of the new Vauxhall Vivaro-e - the company's first fully-electric van with a zero emission range of up to 188 miles.

Built on the same line as the diesel-engined Vivaro at Luton, and available to order from June in two lengths and two body variants, the new battery electric Vivaro-e enables business users to benefit from pollution-free door-to-door mobility.

It means that multi-drop deliveries around large towns and cities on a single charge will become a reality for British van users.

With a payload of up to 1,226kg the Vivoaro-e is comparable to that of similar LCVs with internal combustion engines - its capacity is only 130kgs less than a Vivaro fitted with a diesel engine.

The Vivaro-e is also the only electrified vehicle in its class that has the ability to pull trailers with a maximum towing capacity of 1.0 tonne making it the only fully-electric LCV capable of towing a trailer.

Two sizes of lithium-ion battery will be availabe, depending on vehicle needs. A 75kWh unit provides up to 188 miles of range, while business users with smaller areas to cover in the working day can opt for a 50kWh battery with a range of up to 125 miles.

Using a 100kW DC public charging station, charging of the 50kWh battery to 80 per cent only takes 30 minutes - and 45 minutes for the 75 kWh battery. The battery is covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile guarantee. Recharging is done via a port on the front wing.

Vauxhall says it has tailored the Vivaro-e to cater for a variety of customer needs, with a panel van and double-cab being available for commercial applications, and a passenger vehicle to follow. The panel van has payloads of up to 1,226kg, with gross vehicle weights ranging up to 3,100kg.

As most variants are about 1.90m tall, the Vivaro-e can access parking in basements or shopping centres with low roofs.

Thanks to Vauxhall's FlexCargo load-through on the front passenger side, the cargo length can be extended by 1.2m. With this, the L1H1 (4.96m long) and L2H1 (5.30m long) models can securely store ladders, conduit or piping of up to 3.67 or 4.02m in length. Flexcargo also increases maximum cargo capacities to 5.8 and 6.6 cubic metresrespectively.

As with other versions of the Vivaro the electric model has a full range of driver assistance systems on offer including a head-up display, lane keeping assist, traffic sign recognition and a drowsiness alert.

First deliveries of the electric van are scheduled in the autumn and prices will be announced closer to the release date.

The next electric Vauxhall LCV, the Combo-e, will arrive in 2021 and Vauxhall says it will offer an electrified version of every passenger car and LCV model by 2024.