Engineers at Openreach, which maintains BT’s nationwide telecommunications network, are trialing two vans in Milton Keynes, which is in the vanguard of piloting charging points for electric vehicles, and two at Openreach’s Stratford telephone exchange – close to the 2012 Olympic site in east London.

BT’s fleet management division worked with Allied Electric and Smith Electric Vehicles, which respectively converted two Peugeot Boxer and two Ford Transit vans to run on zero emission technology.

The vehicles are being put through their paces to determine their suitability for engineers’ work patterns, battery life and energy usage. If successful, BT plans to roll out electric vans more widely across its 23,400-strong fleet.

The vans on test have a restricted top speed of 70mph and can cover up to 100 miles between battery charges – comfortably exceeding the average 60 to 65 miles covered by an Openreach van on a daily basis.