OHM 35 BEV new van review

by Jonathan Crouch

£35,000 - £35,000
5.6out of 10
New OHM 35 BEV review
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New OHM 35 BEV review image 2

10 Second Review

OHM claims to offer 'a fresh start' in the world of commercial EVs. The Singapore brand's 35 BEV model is an electric light commercial chassis cab that can be tailored for all kinds of business uses. And offers usage flexibility that might surprise you.

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Detailed ratings

City Van
Overall
56 %
Economy
6 / 10
Space
7 / 10
Value
6 / 10
Handling
5 / 10
Depreciation
5 / 10
Styling
5 / 10
Build
5 / 10
Comfort
5 / 10
Insurance
6 / 10
Performance
6 / 10
Equipment
6 / 10

Background

We're now used to Chinese EV automotive start-ups. Well here's one from Singapore - OHM. The brand says it aims to develop 'a new standard of battery electric vehicles for the light commercial sector'. Where have you heard that before? Still, a fresh perspective on anything never does any harm and, unlike most of its competitors, OHM says it comes at this without being dragged back by legacy systems or inherited working practices.
The company's only been around since 2021 and most of its production is done in China, with most of that being of the product it launched with in the UK, the OHM 35 BEV. Brought to the UK by importers Fapi Motors, it's a light commercial chassis cab for all kinds of light commercial uses. Let's take a closer look.
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Range data

MinMax
Price3500035000
MinMax
Payload Capacity (l)20002000

Driving experience

OHM is very proud of the 'ultra efficient' motor that powers the 35 BEV. It's supposed to deliver up to 3,150Nm of peak torque and it's obviously got a lot of pulling power because it facilitates a 2-tonne payload much heavier than you'd expect from an EV commercial vehicle of this size - from any EV commercial come to that. There's a provided app that will allow drivers to improve their driving habits.
All the engineering here is pretty clever, using a 'three-in-one' design - the drive axle, the transmission shaft and the motor all integrated together. A high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor and control algorithms contribute to what OHM claims is 'the highest possible energy conversion'. This conversion technology is claimed to allow the 35 to run at sustained high speeds over a long distances. The claimed EV range figure from the 64kWh battery is a 150 miles - or 209 miles on the city cycle.
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Design and build

OHM has obviously benchmarked other Chinese models in creating the look and feel of the exterior and interior of this design. Dimensions of the chassis cab are 4,885mm long, 1,760mm wide and 2,000mm high. The cab has an integrated 7-inch instrument display and a 10-inch central monitor incorporating navigation, a rear camera, assisted parking systems and a 360-degree surround view set-up.
A supporting 'MyOHM' app comes included in the price, allowing drivers to contact OHM's after-sales technical service team through their online portal. For workshops and dealers, the app enables access to updated vehicle information to facilitate better after-sales service. And the app also allows users to track and improve their driving habits, as well as activating OHM's assistance service and remotely accessing diagnostic information about the vehicle.
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Market and model

OHM says the 35 chassis cab has been specifically designed with bodybuilder flexibility in mind, making it suitable for a range of body types for applications like dry freight, refuse collection and both ambient and temperature-controlled transport. As well as a chassis cab, you can order it in box van, tipper and dropside forms. The brand is specifically targeting smaller businesses with this model. In future, over the next three to five years, the company expects to have a full range of commercial vehicles, from a pick-up to a 7.5-tonne GVW model. The price as we compiled this review in late 2024 was £35,000 ex-VAT and excluding the available £5,000 government grant. Most businesses will be leasing; a typical monthly rental over 48 months at 5,000 miles a year would be in the £900-£1,035 per month region.
Equipment levels include all you would expect. There's a 7-inch central infotainment screen that can be programmed with all kinds of accessories like a rear camera, assisted parking systems and a 360-degree monitor. And there's a full suite of the usual driver assistance systems to keep the vehicle in lane and apply autonomous emergency braking, as well as monitoring driver fatigue. There are two available colours - 'Clear White' and 'Cool Silver'.
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Summary

'Nobody needs another brand', says the MD of OHM UK importer Fapi Motors Hermann Mallia. In this refreshingly honest observation, he's absolutely right, but is quick to point out the caveat to that. A fresh market entrant is always welcome if they can bring something new and better value. Which is exactly what the OHM 35 looks to be able to do.
You're not forced to have it as a van if that's not what your business needs. Nor will the resulting vehicle force you to make significant payload compromises over the diesel LCVs you might be used to running on your fleet. There's a decent EV range and very good fleet back-up telematics too. A product then, that's well worth a closer look.
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