Loved-up, but stern, newlyweds Mr and Mrs Attractive have taken their pristine new metallic green e-Rifter to a faraway desert bordered by distant mountains. There, they shall take refuge from the heat in a solitary turquoise-glazed modernist cube and play ‘I spy’. So long as it’s the online version, of course. And for that, they’ll need to find a charging station sprouting from the ground. But they’ve arrived in Ad-World. Of course there’s a charging station!

They’ll need it for the car first, much to their disgust. And anyway, what is the e-Rifter? The Peugeot Rifter, as it is known when fitted with petrol or diesel engines, has done solid business in Europe as the 5 or 7 seat version of the Peugeot Partner van. Volkswagen does a healthy enough trade in Australia with high-end passenger versions of the Caddy, and Peugeot Australia Managing Director Kate Gillis is open about her desire to bring the Rifter here for a slice of the action.

But she doesn’t mean any old Rifter. She means this new e-Rifter. The e-Rifter benefits from the same powertrain upgrades just announced for its strictly commercially oriented sibling. As a short 5 seater or longer 7 seater, the nifty Rifter is devilishly practical and will be able to drive up to 320 km on a single charge.

If your people-carrying needs are more commercially flavoured, then the just announced e-Traveller could be the thing. This one is based on the Expert commercial van. New motors mean it can drive up to 350 km on a charge, and can seat anywhere between 5 and 9 people, depending on whether you choose short or long, basic or deluxe, or go all-out on swivelling chairs for the boss.