As government pledges to work with the automotive sector to increase EV take up, boost jobs and hit the UK’s emissions target, Venson Automotive Solutions is encouraging fleet managers to ‘hold tight’ as they navigate the shift to e-Vans. In its latest white paper, ‘Living Your Best e-Van Life’, Venson examines the primary factors behind today’s market turbulence. It concludes that, while the journey is challenging, the future of e-Vans is promising and while not nearly enough people are living their best e-Van life yet, they will be soon, largely thanks to the resilience and adaptability of the fleet industry.
Despite acknowledging considerable hurdles to adoption, including slow infrastructure progress, the troublesome 4.25 tonne derogation and end of life considerations, Venson contends rapid change is possible. After scrutinising the reasons for disappointing uptake in the e-Van market in its white paper, Venson insists that there are sparks of hope.
While this might be hard to perceive for fleet managers, Venson argues that the rapid pace of 21st century change is already making a difference. Comments Simon Staton, Client Management Director at Venson, “Think back just five years, Covid was virtually unheard of, Ford had not yet launched the E-Transit, and Mercedes was celebrating the 90-mile range of the new eVito. Surpassing 100 miles felt like the Holy Grail! In today’s world change is relentless, and the hard-hitting reality is that vans are responsible for 40% of all logistics industry pollution, underscoring the urgency for transition.”
Aside from government fast-tracking its consultation to review its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, Venson says there are other reasons to be optimistic about the future of e-Vans, including encouraging trends in the resale market, and paradigm shifts in addressing the skills gap. Thanks to lessons learnt from electric cars, most e-Van fleet operators are already expert in e-Van service maintenance and repair (SMR). Welcome progress is also being made on recycling and end of life solutions for batteries as the Minister for Science leads calls for the UK to expand its EV battery recycling capacity. Meanwhile, organisations specialising in dedicated lithium recycling and battery recycling are making welcome investments, which bodes well for a more sustainable end-of-life cycle for EV batteries.
Simon Staton concludes, “The UK e-Van market faces undeniable turbulence, but we cannot bury our heads in the sand whilst we wait for government to overturn its predecessor’s decision to delay our transition. Competition on pricing and aftersales is picking up and the latest e-Vans are more enticing than ever. It is a strong bet that the key to widespread e-Van adoption lies in good old carrot and stick – generous incentives to go green, along with rising diesel taxes. The challenge, however, lies in striking the right balance to make e-van adoption accessible and appealing to all, so every user can truly embrace their ‘best e-Van life.’”
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