Updated: Transport minister meets Zero Emission Van Plan members

Transport minister Anthony Browne has met members of the Zero Emission Van Plan at the Department for Transport (DfT).

The roundtable discussion, which included representatives from the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and Logistics UK, was the latest in a series of meetings with decision-makers across Government to discuss the van plan. 

They were joined by Duncan Webb, fleet director at the AA, Colin James, general manager compliance and risk at DPD, Sarah Gray, head of ZEV strategy and development at Dawsongroup Vans, and Speedy Services fleet director, Aaron Powell, amongst others.  

"Positive meetings", the coalition said, have already taken place with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), where it is actively exploring solutions to some of the problems the group has highlighted.

The key objective of the meeting with the minister, which took place on Tuesday (April 2), was to help him understand the barriers to greater zero-emission van adoption, have a deeper understanding of the solutions presented within the Zero Emission Van Plan and flag the need for there to be a focus on van needs in DfT policy. 

Topics covered in the discussion included a market update, support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the importance of the plug-in van grant, charging solutions for electric vans and the concerns that 4.25t zero-emission vans should be regulated as vans and not HGVs as set out by the current legislation.

BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney said: “For vans to get anywhere near the targets set out by the ZEV mandate, decision-makers need to sit up and take notice now.

“To transition from where we are today to where we need to be is reliant on a host of moving parts coming together.

“Engagements such as this, with those holding the power to make a difference, are an integral piece of that puzzle.

"We value every meeting with Government departments and ministers and remain ready to collaborate further.”

AFP chair Paul Hollick added: “Our points have been heard and it was superb that our fleet operator members had the opportunity to have direct dialogue with the transport minister, really bringing to life the issues AFP Members face at the coal face of national e-van deployment.”

The Zero Emission Van Plan, headed by BVRLA, was launched earlier this year in partnership with the AFP, Logistics UK, Recharge UK and the EV Café, and supported by Fleet News.

It calls on the Government to provide greater fiscal support, improve charging infrastructure and remove regulatory barriers to help accelerate uptake of full electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs). You can view the Zero Emission Van Plan here.