Morris Commercial will build its electric Morris JE van in Wales after securing Welsh Government support for a new production facility at Bro Tathan. Around 150 skilled jobs are expected once the site is up and running.
The JE is a battery-electric reworking of the 1950s Morris J-Type, keeping the familiar silhouette but switching to a lightweight aluminium skateboard platform and a recycled carbon-fibre monocoque body. Morris Commercial quotes a 250-mile range and roughly a one-tonne payload, putting it broadly in line with the mid-size electric van class.
Site at Bro Tathan
Bro Tathan, near St Athan, already hosts engineering and automotive activity, including Aston Martin’s DBX production. The Welsh Government is providing support through its Economy Futures Funding to help Morris Commercial establish the JE build line, which ministers describe as Wales’s first dedicated battery-electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
Riversimple’s fuel-cell electric cars are already made in Wales, but the JE represents a distinct move into battery-electric light-commercial production.
Market reality
Morris Commercial says the JE will compete with models such as the Ford Transit Custom, Vauxhall Vivaro and Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo. It enters a segment where buyers tend to focus on payload, reliability, charging convenience and whole-life cost rather than design, although the JE’s lightweight structure does give it a point of difference.
The claims made today stop short of confirming battery size, charging speeds or detailed specifications that matter to fleet operators.
A focused, limited but credible niche
The JE is unlikely to trouble the mainstream high-volume vans, but there is a small market for distinctive electric commercial vehicles where appearance, brand identity and low running costs matter as much as absolute scale.
Provided Morris Commercial can establish stable production at Bro Tathan and support the vehicle properly, the JE could serve that niche well enough. Fair play to them, because building a new electric van from scratch is no small task.
