Though The Limelight For Electric Driving Has Been Largely Taken By All-Electric Passenger Cars, Battery-Electric Vans Remain Crucial For The Long-Term Success For The UK Air Quality Ambitions!
Though the mainstream press has been galvanised and inspired by the fast moving migration to zero-tailpipe emission electric driving, the majority of the press narrative features award-winning pure electric passenger cars, like the famed Tesla Model 3 EV and the Jaguar I-PACE electric SUV. The mention of electric commercial vans, like the all-electric Nissan e-NV200, has been far less.
We encourage the UK press to also cover zero-emission electric vans with the same enthusiasm as the coverage of electric cars. Electric vans have a vital role to play in the UK transportation framework for the next many decades.
Electric vans or plug-in electric vans fall under the Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) segment. According to the latest new van registrations figures from the SMMT (October 2020), year-to-date 236,883 vans have been registered in the United Kingdom.
Though the SMMT does not release data on the registrations of pure electric vans, in our assessment, the total number of plug-in electric vans in the UK remains under 10,000 i.e. a very small market share of the commercial van market. There are over 3.5 million vans in the UK!
However, this is all set to change rapidly, as the UK government moves a gear higher in the execution of its ‘Road to Zero Strategy‘. In November 2020, the UK government announced its intention to move forward the ban date for the sale of new petrol and diesel internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2040 to 2030.
Moreover, post Covid-19 we expect to see ‘clean air zones‘ become a priority for cities across the United Kingdom, such that, tailpipe emission commercial vans will be banned from the city centres with an objective of improving air quality.
Put another way, we expect only zero-emission electric vans to be allowed in city centres. November 2020 also saw the extension of the ULEZ zone in London, a step towards improving air quality in London.
For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving and keen to learn more about electric vans, we encourage you to read the following articles on the e-zoomed Electric Living Blog.
- What Is The Plug-In Van Grant? All You Need To Know In Under Two Minutes!
- Financing All-Electric Commercial Vans
Which Electric Vans Are Eligible For UK The Plug-In Van Grant?
Only 18 new electric vans are eligible for the plug-in van grant (vehicle category N1, N2 or N3). Eligible fully electric vans should be able to travel a distance of 60 miles on a single charge.
- BD Auto eTraffic
- BD Auto eDucato (3.5 tonnes)
- Citroen e-Dispatch
- Ford Transit Custom PHEV
- LEVC VN5
- MAN eTGE
- Maxus eDeliver 3
- Mercedes-Benz eVito
- Mercedes eSprinter
- Mitsubishi Outlander Commercial
- Nissan e-NV200 (cargo van)
- Peugeot e-Expert
- Renault Kangoo ZE
- Renault Master ZE
- Renault Trucks Master ZE
- Vauxhall Vivaro-e
- Volkswagen ABT e-Transporter
- LDV EV80
We at e-zoomed are more than happy to assist you with all your EV needs to include:
- Compare and buy your next green car
- Compare and buy EV charging points
- Compare and buy best electric car insurance deals in the UK
- Compare and buy best electric car breakdown cover in the UK
- Compare and buy green electricity for your home and electric vehicle
- Compare and buy best priced electric car charging cables and EV accessories
- Compare and buy best e-scooters!
- Compare and buy electric kick scooters
- Compare and buy an e-bike
