According to the latest research by *Europcar Vans & Trucks, ahead of Fleet & Mobility Live, more than half of current non-electric van drivers said they have plans to switch. However, there are still some significant barriers to making the switch.

Van drivers for work were surveyed to discover what would help them make the switch:

• 52% said they have plans to switch
• 38% said they could be persuaded to switch to electric if purchase costs were lower
• Better battery range to accommodate vehicle payload would help 31% make the switch

Not surprising, the main hurdle standing in the way of would-be electric van users was the availability of charging points (29%), followed by purchase costs (27%) and insurance costs (25%). A quarter said having to stop to charge was a deterrent because of the impact on productivity.

Tom Middleditch, Head of Electric Mobility at Europcar said: “The barriers holding back van users remain clear – cost and charging.  Of course charging infrastructure is improving, but as the BVRLA Van Plan has already identified, charging that is fit for purpose for van users is still limited. The key now is to try to get more van users trying out the electric van experience to really understand what adjustments need to be made to ensure there’s little impact on performance and productivity.

“When it comes to purchase cost, it is not surprising this is a barrier, especially for the many businesses that currently need to keep tight control on cash flow. Rental overcomes this barrier as well as takes away any concerns about residual values. Renting provides access to the latest EV technology with virtually no commitment; there’s no worry about maintenance either and we’re expanding the Europcar electric van fleet to give businesses more choice, whether for a few weeks or longer-term.

“Businesses can make a virtually commitment-free entry to electric motoring to work out how to make zero emissions a reality and lower their environmental impact. And this is business-critical for those organisations that regularly go in and out of the Clean Air Zones (CAZ), Zero Emissions Zones (ZEZ) and the London Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).”

72% of van drivers surveyed said they are affected by the growing number of CAZ across the UK. However, there is a clear lack of knowledge surrounding the zones, with 38% admitting they are not confident they understand the rules. This lack of understanding could have a big impact on day-to-day business operations and finances, with unexpected fines quickly mounting up for higher polluting and non-compliant vehicles.

“While the electric car parc is growing significantly and businesses have greater confidence in their use, when it comes to electric vans the confidence is less evident”, added Tom Middleditch. “Latest data shows that electric vans represent around 1.4% of all LCVs on UK roads. Winning the hearts and minds of drivers who will need to adapt to electric van usage is critical and our goal is to make electric commercial motoring more accessible for more businesses by providing a choice of electric vans that can serve multiple use-cases.”

*250 van drivers were surveyed using Vypr survey tool between 25^th – 27^th September 2024