Diesel favored by van fleet operators despite electric vehicle range worries

author: FutureCar Staff    

On 29 July, a Fiat E-Scudo made history by setting the Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled by an electric van on a single charge. The van managed to cover an impressive 311.18 miles, showcasing the potential of plug-in light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in the market.

However, despite this achievement, many fleets that operate large vans are still hesitant to switch from diesel to electric. The range of bigger electric vans is highly dependent on the payload they carry, and many businesses have decided to postpone their electrification plans until models with greater ranges and better capabilities to handle heavy loads become available.

Ben Edwards, a consultant at Arval, the UK's third-biggest vehicle leasing company, expressed the common concerns surrounding electric vans. He stated, "Electric vans have always been a bit of a struggle because there's a question of whether the larger ones are actually capable of doing the job."

Edwards further explained that people are already aware of the limitations of electric vehicles when it comes to range. For example, if a car claims to have a range of 280 miles, it may not be able to achieve that distance if there are five people in the car and the trunk is fully loaded. The same concern applies to larger electric vans, which need to prove their ability to perform under real-world conditions.

FutureCar Staff