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Electric car and van advice for SMEs

Electric vans

The number of electric van models available and their ranges are increasing, making them an increasingly practical choice.

While more expensive to purchase than similar diesel models, adopting electric vans can save you money on fuel and tax, as well as significantly reduce your fleet’s carbon and nitrogen dioxide emissions.

How do electric vans work?

Our first of six videos will equip you and your business with essential information on the benefits of using electric vans and the support available to help you start using them. Learn more about the latest models, driving range and battery size of electric vans in our first video.

Eligible vans for the plug-in grant

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) plug-in van grant will pay for 35% of the purchase price for these vehicles, up to a maximum of £2,500 for vans < 2.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) or up to £5,000 for vans 2.5-4.2 tonnes GVW. Correct as of 10 July 2024. 

These vehicles have CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and can travel at least 96km (60 miles) without any emissions at all. 

Energy Saving Trust have classified the size of electric vans as: 

  • Small < 2.5t 
  • Medium 2.5-2.9t 
  • Large > 2.9t 

This means there is an extra classification of medium compared to OZEV’s classification. This is to make it easier for users to identify van models of a suitable size. Vans in the medium category would be eligible for the same maximum grant amount as those in the large category, £5,000. 

Electric van FAQs

Electric vans are cheaper to run than diesel or petrol vans due to the lower cost of electricity per mile. As well as potentially large savings on fuel, vehicle maintenance is usually cheaper and for a pure electric van, there is no Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) to be paid until April 2025. There are no tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen oxides, so you’ll help improve the air quality in the area you drive.

The guide below will answer many of the questions you might have before making the switch to an electric van. 

Electrifying last mile deliveries

Ecargo bikes and electric vans have a vital role to play in distributing supplies and parcels sustainably to their final delivery addresses, referred to as the ‘last mile’.

Our advice page on zero emission powered light vehicles (zePLV), offers advice for businesses on how they can adopt zePLV’s as well as the benefits they could gain.

 

Header image credit: Vauxhall

Case study: Fruit 4 London

Fruit 4 London delivers fruit to over 500 offices in London every day using bikes and electric vehicles (EVs). The company now has more than a decade of  experience running an electric delivery fleet.

Last updated: 10 July 2024