Modern Morris
December 1, 2025
Jay RameyMorris Commercial approaches a crucial stage as it leans on nostalgia, but will a retro design be enough to attract buyers?
Most of the EV delivery van startups that were launched a decade ago, anticipating a booming market for such vehicles, have either imploded by now or are busy building fleets for Amazon. But there is one startup that is still crawling toward the production stage, and it’s easily one of the more unique efforts.
Worcestershire-based Morris Commercial with its retro-styled Morris JE van, first shown in prototype form in 2019, is now in the final phases of development. And production in the UK is expected to start in mid-2026 if all goes according to plan. Production estimates are modest.
Styled after the vintage Morris J-Type van that debuted in 1948, the modern EV version features a recycled carbon fiber body sitting on an aluminum chassis. With a 233-cubic-feet capacity and a 2204-pound payload, the Morris JE promises up to 250 miles of range, which should make it suitable for local driving.
At launch, the company expects to offer the van with an 80-kWh battery, but other battery options are in the works as well. Prototypes have been testing around the UK for the past couple of years, with the company also promising fast-charging ability, with 20% to 80% blasts promised in 30 minutes.
As one would expect, the primary customers are expected to be small businesses that make deliveries around town, or tradespeople looking for a unique commercial van that does not seek to compete with larger and heavier offerings when it comes to interior space. The modern options in the UK’s white van game can be more generous when it comes to cargo room than the Morris JE, and are usually diesel-powered.
As such, the Morris JE will lean heavily on the retro flair of the model — not too dissimilar from what VW has been trying to accomplish with the ID. Buzz Cargo in Europe. And it will be aimed almost exclusively at a UK audience.
“The zero emission, carbon neutral Morris JE is expected to rival vehicles such as Ford Transit Custom, Vauxhall Vivaro and VW ID Buzz,” the company claims.
But the startup isn’t promising tens of thousands of these to suddenly appear on the streets of the UK. Rather, once production ramps up, Morris Commercial envisions producing just over a thousand of these each year for small businesses, tradespeople, and a slice of the vanlife crowd.
The company plans to produce the EV in Wales, with support from the Welsh Government’s Economy Futures Funding — a crucial part of its manufacturing plan at a time when much larger automakers are still facing an uphill EV adoption battle in the UK.
And a carbon fiber body will make the Morris JE a pricier option even among other EVs in this category, with the company expecting a £61,000 starting price, which translates to about $80,700 at the current exchange rate.
This will make it a bit of boutique offering, with the ID. Buzz Cargo starting at around $60,000 for the Pro S base model.
Just how much sentiment remains in the UK for a model that’s been out of production for decades remains to be seen, especially in a cutthroat commercial van market ruled by cost considerations.
Quite a bit still has to happen before the first units start rolling out of the factory. As we’ve seen with countless other startups, the months right before the scheduled start of production are the most critical.
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