The future of commercial transport is electric, and with the target of 34% of all new vans sold being pure EVs by 2027, the shift is rapidly accelerating. But are businesses truly ready for this transformation? Europcar is proactively bridging the gap, making significant investments in infrastructure, fleet and dedicated customer service to pave the electric road.
The latest data from Europcar UK’s EV Barometer signals businesses are increasingly recognising the viability of zero-emission fleets. However, transitioning to electric vans comes with its own unique set of considerations and challenges.
In recent Europcar research, van drivers cited the availability of charging points (29%), purchase costs (27%) and insurance costs (25%) as top barriers to going electric. Concerns around reduced productivity due to charging stops (24%), charging costs (23%), battery range (22%), vehicle availability (22%) and the impact of payload on battery range (13%) also weigh heavily on decision-making.
With an holistic approach, sustainability is deeply ingrained in every aspect of Europcar’s operations – and it is putting specific focus on commercial vehicles as more businesses look at ways to start the transition to zero tail-pipe emissions.
Expansion of eVan fleet
A significant volume of small electric panel vans have been added to the Europcar fleet available from locations across the UK on long-term flex rental of three months or more. The Vauxhall Combo Electric and Renault Kangoo eTech provide businesses with an ideal entry route to electric motoring, both with rapid charging capability and long driving ranges.
“While the electric car parc is growing significantly and businesses have greater confidence in their use, when it comes to electric vans the confidence is less evident”, says Keith Shorter, head of Europcar Vans and Trucks. “Latest data shows that electric vans represent around 1.4% of all LCVs on UK roads. As the BVRLA has identified in its ‘Van Plan’, there are several hurdles organisations are finding hard to overcome, not least of which is the cost of entry. Winning the hearts and minds of drivers who will need to adapt to electric van usage is also critical.
“Our goal is to make electric commercial motoring more accessible for more businesses by providing a choice of compact electric vans that can serve multiple use-cases.”
To find out more about sustainable commercial vehicle solutions from Europcar Vans and Trucks visit https://www.europcar.co.uk/en-gb/p/business/fleet-services/electric
