Future van legislation ‘needs greater fleet input’

Northgate is calling on the Government to ensure there is greater fleet involvement when it is shaping future light commercial vehicle (LCV) legislation.  

It follows publication of a TRL report – ‘EV adoption and smart charging for electric vans and commercial fleets’ – that was undertaken for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The 75-page report included interviews with just 53 van fleet operators and 44 van drivers, some of which already run electric vans and some who haven’t yet begun their electrification journey.

Northgate UK and Ireland’s managing director, Neil McCrossan (pictured), believes the UK’s largest LCV fleets should be consulted if Government departments are looking to formulate future LCV legislation, rather than just a handful of operators and drivers.

“We have a huge amount of knowledge and experience to share and are highly motivated to help find the optimal solution for the industry, not just for our customers,” he said.

“We have first-hand knowledge of the challenges and many of the answers around electrification from working with companies across our 50,000-strong fleet.

“Our customers come from a number of sectors so we are uniquely placed to have qualified views on this subject which is why Northgate and similar companies should be asked to join the conversation.”

Northgate carried out its own EV customer research in 2024, based on hundreds of LCV fleets attending its EV roadshows. Almost two-thirds (62.5%) identified carbon reduction as their main motivation for lowering emissions, an increase from 50% in 2023. 

Meanwhile, 15.1% of fleets expressed concerns about charging and vehicle choice, when considering the direct replacement of diesel LCVs with equivalent EVs.

The fact fleet priorities changed by 12.5% in just a year shows just how quickly market sentiment is moving towards emission reduction. 

Northgate also launched its electric micro mobility service in 2024, to respond to the changing needs of fleets and has extended the different types of electric LCVs it offers to 12. 

McCrossan also believes the recent announcement that double cab pick-ups will be treated as company cars for benefit-in-kind tax and capital allowance purposes from April 2025 would have benefitted from fleet consultation.

“The legislation changes in 2024 made by different governments would have benefitted from consulting with companies like us that have customers using double cab pick-ups for business use,” he said. 

“In the long term the legislation will penalise those bona fide business users and their drivers from using these multi-purpose vehicles.

“Talking to fleets like Northgate or trade associations such as the BVRLA would have provided greater and more detailed insights to support policy-making decisions.”