Safety fears delay decision on rule change for operating electric vans (video)

The Government is weighing up the safety implications of making it easier for fleets to operate electric vans by changing the rules for operating 4.25-tonne vehicles.    

The previous administration announced in October, 2023, that the additional five-hour training requirement for drivers would be removed for electric vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes.

With heavier vans also falling under HGV operator licensing rules, it also promised to make changes to towing allowances and broaden the flexibility to cover all vehicle types, beyond goods vans, recognising that further measures were needed to support their uptake.

In May, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) said that it expected to bring legislation forward by the end of the year, but July’s general election meant any changes are now being considered by the new Government.

The weight limit for Category B driving licence holders driving alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs) was increased from 3.5t to 4.25t in 2018. 

However, Abdul Chowdhury (pictured), head of the vehicle policy team at OZEV, told delegates at last week’s Fleet and Mobility Live that the department was still working on exempting these heavier electric vans from operator licence restrictions.

He explained: “The key consideration is the road safety impact and implications of the changes. So even though, in terms of their size and weight, they’re the same vehicle, because it is greater mass when they’re involved in an accident or incident, the impact can be greater.

“Right now, we’re doing a lot of work to really understand how the risk profile changes and what the public safety implications are.”

He added: “We’re also looking at rules around the MOT and drivers’ hours/tachographs and speed limiters.

“Understandably, HGV regulations are a bit more burdensome; they’ve got more rigor and checks and balances, but we’re continuing to assess if these vehicles are safe enough for them to fall into the car regulation, i.e. the sub three-and-a-half-tonne regulations.”

'Difficult challenge' faced by fleets

Chowdhury acknowledged that fleets faced a more difficult challenge making electric vans work compared to electric cars.

“The total cost of ownership can be higher even when you take into account the cheaper running and maintenance costs,” he said.

In addition, he explained that public charging infrastructure is not always suitable for electric vans. “It’s a real pain point for an electric van driver,” he added. “Those are the type of things that we’re really trying to tackle for those looking to go to an electric van.”

The barriers fleets face to adopting electric vans, compared to electric cars, was reflected in the latest new light commercial vehicle (LCV) registrations.

New fully electric van registrations fell in September, the fourth successive month of falling demand and the sixth month of decline this year, according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Registrations fell by 0.5% to 3,020 units meaning 14,188 new battery electric vans have been registered since the start of January, 7.7% below the same period last year.

As a result, zero-emission vans now represent just 5.3% of all new LCVs registered in 2024 – just over half the 10% required by the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. 

Demand for the latest electric cars, however, hit a new record volume for any month in September, up 24.4% to 56,387 units, achieving a 20.5% share of the overall market, up from 16.6% a year ago.

Unlock the floodgates for fleet adoption

James Rooney, head of road fleet at Network Rail, says clarity around when the rules will be changed is vital for operators as they are currently a barrier to fleets adopting electric vans.

He explained: “We’re really glad as a fleet operators to see that large vans are now becoming an option, with 4.25-tonne vans coming on to the market with a reasonable range.”

However, he said: “The derogation restrictions are prohibiting myself and I'm sure my colleagues from ordering those types of vehicles, because we don’t know how we’re going to be able to use them in the future… We don’t have that defined date.”

Rooney added that a target date for when the derogation of 4.25-tonne vans will see them aligned with vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes would “unlock the floodgates” for fleets to adopt those vehicles.

Chowdhury explained that the new ministerial team were keen to learn more about the safety implications of the changes being proposed before making a decision.

He told Fleet and Mobility Live: “I’ve had a lot of fleets that have been extremely helpful when providing me with incident data and information, which basically suggests that there is negligible difference between the 3.5-tonne ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles and the 4.35-tonne (electric) vehicles.”

However, he added: “The changes that we’re proposing aren’t just for major fleets that can provide the additional training, can make sure they have competent drivers.

“The proposals will affect every single standard licence-holder in the UK, and every single 4.25-tonne vehicle in the UK, and they won’t necessarily always be owned by a large fleet or a fleet who is doing the right things to ensure safety.

“That’s why we need to assess what the potential public safety implications could be.”

He continued: “The new minister we’ve got who is overseeing the decision, when she was in opposition, one of her key areas of focus was road safety so understandably, she wants us to provide maximum assurance that the road safety implications aren’t significant or severe.”

Chowdhury said that the minister was continuing to be advised about those risks and once she made a decision timelines could be discussed.   

Watch the full debate below

Chowdhury