WITH the 2022 Commercial Vehicle Show around the corner, the spotlight on commercial vehicles – and fleet electrification of van fleets – is really coming into focus.
Electric-powered van sales are certainly growing, albeit from a low base, with registrations up 65.8% on 2021 year to date.
At present, one in 20 new vans sold in the UK are battery powered and EV commercial vehicles continue to buck the downward trends of both the new van market overall and sales of diesel-powered vans that have fallen by 27.8%.
Apart from the clean air implications, smart charger provider Ohme says that van fleets save money by switching vans to electric.
Peter McDonald, Ohme’s Director of Mobility, said:
At a time when everyone’s focus is on the high fuel prices at the pumps, companies switching their van fleets to electric is an easy and obvious way to considerably reduce their running costs. Some companies have led the way by electrifying their van fleets, but many are still yet to make the move. Ohme’s Home Pro smart charger can help companies to considerably reduce their running costs for those charging on a smart tariff, but also to help make them more sustainable by charging when renewable energy generation on the grid is at its highest.
Electrification of van fleets will also become increasingly important for companies as a growing number of UK cities look to introduce low emission or clean air zones on top of those already in existence. According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport, the average annual mileage of a van is around 13,000 miles with more than half remaining local and within 15 miles of their base on a typical day – a perfect usage profile for an electric van.
Ohme says its Home Pro smart charger can connect with the national grid in real time and automatically adjust its charging for drivers to take advantage of all the times of low price charging with smart electricity tariffs. The result is that electric van drivers and operators can typically save up to £1000 by smart charging an electric van compared with charging on standard electricity rates.
Companies like Ford are certainly helping the change, with the launch of its E-Transit with a near-200 mile range, and the prospect of Britain’s best-selling van, the Transit Custom, turning electric next year.
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How Can Electric Vans Save Money?
Pinnacle Group is transitioning its 500 diesel van fleet to electric. It is doing this in stages with the deployment of 33 Nissan eNV200 vans.
Working with fleet management and leasing provider, Fleet Alliance, they will be operated on four year/68,000-mile operating cycles and will be provided with full maintenance packages.
According to Sarah Russell (pictured), in charge of fleet electrification, while cost savings are always welcome, the fleet decarbonisation was of primary consideration.
Fleet Alliance has recommended four-year operating cycles, rather than the three years we currently operate our diesel vehicles on, because of the lower maintenance and operating costs of the EVs, which we are happy to follow as this will allow us to fully capture the carbon saving.
She says that on this basis the vans will work out cheaper than the diesel vans, although her calculations were prior to the rise in the cost of diesel, which will have crystallised the savings. Read the full story here.
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The Commercial Vehicle Show is being held at NEC Birmingham on 24-26 May 2022. Registration is required for free entry to the show.
To read the vehicles and products on display at the show, click here.
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