Close Menu
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing & Mental Health
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Trending
  • Warning to Small Businesses Over New Food Waste Regulations
  • What do the new bereavement leave plans mean?
  • Royal Mail Launches £1 Million Apprenticeship Levy Gifting Fund
  • 5 Biggest Business Risks Facing the UK Chemical Sector
  • Planning a rural business move? What Clarkson’s picnic clause might teach you
  • Meet the Tech Leader Who Makes Things Happen
  • Handheld Laser Scanners Drive New Growth For Sep Geospatial In Unlikely Sectors
  • Loughborough’s Here Self Storage Hits 65% Occupancy As Local Demand Grows
X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • News
  • Home
  • In Profile
  • Finance
  • Legal
  • Technology
  • Events
  • Features
  • Wellbeing
  • Marketing
  • HR & Recruitment
SME Today
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Events Calendar
  • Business Wall
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • 0843 289 4634
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
You are at:Home»News»Europcar research identifies battery range to accommodate payload a significant barrier to change to electric for van users

Europcar research identifies battery range to accommodate payload a significant barrier to change to electric for van users

0
Posted By Greg Robinson on October 8, 2024 News, Transport & Tourism

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

Van drivers for work were surveyed to discover what would help them make the switch:
Van drivers were asked what put them off making the switch to a EV Van

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 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommiddleditch/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 25th – 27th September 2024

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

What do the new bereavement leave plans mean?

Royal Mail Launches £1 Million Apprenticeship Levy Gifting Fund

Meet the Tech Leader Who Makes Things Happen

Comments are closed.

Follow SME Today on Linkedin and share all the topics you find interesting
Verify your identity for Companies House

The Newsletter

Join our mailing list for the best SME stories, handpicked and delivered direct to your inbox every two weeks!

Sign Up
Events Calendar
    • Marketing
    July 7, 2025

    Bold Business Marketing Specialist Speaks In Swindon This Week

    July 4, 2025

    How Generative AI is Giving SMEs a Marketing Edge

    • Finance
    July 14, 2025

    Busting myths about Asset Based Lending 

    July 10, 2025

    How to build a £1 million pension and ISA portfolio

    • Health & Safety
    July 1, 2025

    Temperatures Soaring: Is Your Workplace Becoming Unsafe?

    January 29, 2025

    UK takeaways guilty of shocking hygiene failures:

    • Events
    July 4, 2025

    £20k grant for female-founded SME up for grabs

    July 2, 2025

    As Seen on BBC Panorama – Brad Burton to Headline The South West Expo in Swindon

    • Community
    July 11, 2025

    Building community, one cause at a time

    June 23, 2025

    Celebrating One Year In Fairford Supporting The Community

    • Food & Drink
    July 18, 2025

    Warning to Small Businesses Over New Food Waste Regulations

    June 23, 2025

    England Cricket Captain, Ben Stokes OBE, takes a stake in Spencer Matthews’ alcohol-free spirits brand, CleanCo

    • Books
    April 24, 2025

    Values-Driven Professionalism: A Path to Client Loyalty

    December 2, 2024

    Banish the banshee boss: how to lead without fear – addressing the issue of fear-based management and how NOT to be this manager

    About

    SME Today is published by the same team who deliver The Great British Expos’. We have been organising various corporate events for the last 10 years, with a strong track record of producing well managed and attended business events across the UK.

    Join Our Mailing List

    Receive the latest news and updates from SMEToday.
    Read our Latest Newsletter:


    Sign Up
    X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    Most Recent Posts
    July 18, 2025

    Warning to Small Businesses Over New Food Waste Regulations

    July 18, 2025

    What do the new bereavement leave plans mean?

    July 17, 2025

    Royal Mail Launches £1 Million Apprenticeship Levy Gifting Fund

    July 17, 2025

    5 Biggest Business Risks Facing the UK Chemical Sector

    July 16, 2025

    Planning a rural business move? What Clarkson’s picnic clause might teach you

    Categories
    • Books
    • Community & Charity
    • Education and Training
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Features
    • Finance
    • Food and Drink
    • Health & Safety
    • HR & Recruitment
    • In Profile
    • Legal
    • Marketing
    • News
    • Property & Development
    • Sponsored Content
    • Technology
    • Transport & Tourism
    • Wellbeing & Mental Health

    Copyright © 2020 SME Today.

    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Editorial Submission Guidelines
    • Privacy
    • Contact
    Copyright © 2025 SME Today.
    • ABOUT SME TODAY: THE GO TO RESOURCE FOR UK BUSINESSES
    • Editorial Submission Guidelines
    • Privacy
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.