Electric vans: best practice advice on challenges and benefits

The transition to electric vehicles is at the top of the agenda for almost all fleet decision-makers at the moment.

But while there are many benefits to moving to the zero-emission technology, there are still many challenges to overcome.

The experiences of some of the country’s leading fleet decision-makers were shared during a panel debate at the BVRLA’s Fleets in Charge conference, covering topics including charging infrastructure, range, reliability, benefits and how the leasing and rental industries can help the transition.

What is the biggest challenge you are facing in electrifying your van fleet?

Lorna McAtear, head of fleet at National Grid: The infrastructure is there in for the amount of EVs we have at the moment - this isn’t to say the public network doesn’t need to keep growing, and it will keep growing – but there is an issue with space around the chargers.

I took part in the EV Rally in July where I took some commercial vehicles around the country and over the five days I only queued at a charger once, but if I was towing anything I would have struggled.

Matthew Hammond, head of fleet at Altrad UK: I think infrastructure is a problem. When the charge points are put in, they’re not thinking about access for commercial vehicles and that really does need to be considered.