With zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate compelling car makers to sell increasing numbers of EVs from 2024 up to the UK's 2035 petrol and diesel ban, along with clean air zones (CAZ) and low emission zones (LEZ) in major cities, it's a good idea to think about this now.
There has been a big increase in the availability of new technology and transport over the past few years, giving organisations and businesses in the UK an increasing number great options to choose from. So is it worth upgrading now? To answer that question, you'll need to figure out which vehicles are fit for what purpose and how much you're able to invest in new or second-hand vehicles.
Depending on your fleet of vehicles, specific types will have higher up-front costs, but these are often offset by increased efficiency across the vehicle's life, saving your organisation money in the long run. When considering the replacement of older vehicles, there's a few questions you should ask before going further:
- What sort of payload is required and what sort of load space is required?
- How will refuelling or recharging affect operations and can you fit it into your schedule?
- Where can I charge and what type of charger(s) will work best?
- Will you buy or lease new vehicles?
- What's the total cost of ownership?
Smaller vehicles are generally a lot cheaper to run than their larger counterparts, so if you're able to downsize, it might help offset costs. Let's have a look at some of the different sizes of vehicles available.
Powered light vehicles (zePLV)
You can use small electric vehicles (known as zePLVs) for commuting, shared-mobility, service use, food delivery, emergency services and cargo delivery. Best of all, they don't produce harmful emissions from an exhaust and are much cheaper to run compared to traditional cars and vans. They include electric scooters, electric three-wheeled mopeds, electric motorcycles and even electric micro cars.
Being cheap to run, small enough to navigate traffic and electric powered makes them great for local or last-mile deliveries.
Electric cars (EVs)
Replacing an older internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle with a zero-tailpipe emission one, such as an electric vehicle (EV), is always a good idea when you're looking at lifetime costs. With over one million EVs on Britain's roads, your options are really diverse depending on your business needs.
While the initial upfront purchase price of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle can be higher, this is usually offset by lower running costs and easy access to clean air zones. There are some great deals on nearly new electric cars at the moment.
Electric vans/ light commercial vehicles (LCVs)
The number of electric van models available and their ranges are increasing, making them an increasingly good choice for businesses.
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.
To ensure your vans can be switched to electric, you will need to know how far they are driven and where and for how long they are parked when stationary. Some vans can be limited in terms of payload capacity so understanding the maximum weight to be carried is also important.
Heavy duty/goods vehicles (HDVs/HGVs)
If you own a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), you will need to understand how to actually deliver a zero-emission operation. Delivering a zero-emission operation will include investing in electric or hydrogen trucks, looking at charging or re-fuelling infrastructure and looking ahead at carbon reduction targets.
It's true that electric trucks are currently more expensive than their diesel counterparts, but looking at a whole-life cost, there will be benefits from lower energy costs, access to clean air zones and reduced carbon footprint for sustainability commitments. Getting an electric truck is planning for the future, not just for now.
Charge points
There are now over 50,000 public charge points installed in the UK, which you can use to charge or top-up your electric vehicles. It's also a good idea to have a workplace chargepoint or depot chargepoints for overnight charging prior to getting the vehicles on site. If you plan to replace lots of vehicles in the long term, it's worth understanding how much energy a fully electric future fleet will consume so you don't duplicate work each time you buy a new electric vehicle. This way, you can ensure that your fleet works with any grid upgrades well in advance of the vehicles arriving.
If you need a steer with identifying vehicle efficiency improvements, optimal vehicles, preparing your dept, grey fleets, or staff training get in touch with Energy Saving Trust's fleet advice consultancy. They can give advice specific to your fleet and unique situation and will help you to meet net zero and carbon reduction targets, improve local air quality and transition to zero emission transport.
https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/service/fleet-advice-consultancy/