Diesel favored by van fleet operators despite electric vehicle range worries

author: FutureCar Staff    

On 29 July, a Fiat E-Scudo made headlines by setting a new Guinness World Record for the greatest distance travelled by an electric van in a single charge. The impressive distance covered was 311.18 miles, which is a significant achievement for plug-in light commercial vehicles (LCVs).

However, despite this record-breaking feat, it seems that many fleets running large vans are still hesitant to make the switch from diesel to electric. The range of bigger electric vans can be greatly affected by the payload they carry, making it a concern for businesses. As a result, many companies have decided to scale back 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, highlighted the challenges faced by 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."

One of the main issues with electric vehicles, including vans, is that the advertised range may not always be achievable in real-world conditions. When a car claims to have a range of 280 miles, for example, factors such as passenger occupancy and cargo load can significantly impact the actual range. This further adds to the concerns of businesses relying on vans for their daily operations.

FutureCar Staff