B-ON parts ways with IM Group ahead of new Pelkan launch

B-ON, the electric commercial vehicle brand, has ended its partnership with IM Group ahead of launching its new generation of Pelkan electric vans early next year.

The new German brand had an agreement in place with IM Group from April 2023 to distribute its StreetScooter vans in the UK and Nortern Ireland.

However, the StreetScooter product line has now been separated from the larger B-ON business and a spokesperson confirmed to AM that in light of that separation, the new brand is “exploring other routes to partnership” away from IM Group.

B-ON no longer has any relationship to the StreetScooter product after Professor Günther Schuh – the inventor of the StreetScooter – took over the rights to the prodcut at the beginning of 2024.

B-ON has been preparing to expand at a much larger scale in the UK with the recent appointment of former Nissan LCV veteran Nicolas Tschann as its chief commercial officer.

The business has also entered into a commercial partnership with Chinese automotive brand Chery’s for manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering resources of a new range of electric vans.

Chery will gain access to B-ON’s network for sales, aftersale sand branding in Europe and North America.

Chery is currently establishing its own network of franchised dealership locations for its Omoda and Jaecoo brands in the UK.

However, a spokesperson for B-ON said there is currently no formal plan in place for B-ON dealerships to be linked with Omoda/Jaecoo locations in a multi-franchise co-operation.

The Pelkan electric van, which will have a range of up to 185 miles, will achieve a payload of 1,234kg to 1,320kg, according to the manufacturer.

In addition to the new Pelkan, B-ON will be targetting fleets with its suite of fleet and energy management services, which it says create a one-stop-shop for electrifying medium and large fleets.

The spokesperson for B-ON told AM: "We have no formal relationship to Omoda and while there may be some crossover with our ultimate networks, there is no plan at this time to integrate them intentionally.

"We look forward to communicating an updated agreement on our UK dealer network in due course."

IM Group had initially secured B-ON preliminary agreements for StreetScotter distribution last summer with dealers in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, Tewksbury, Wolverhampton, Yeovil, and York.

AM has asked IM Group for further comment on the status of the UK dealer network.