Electric Vans

[courtg9000]

Just giving something the once over for a pal of mine.
New Company. Van purchase/lease is being looked at. Do any of my learned colleagues know of any improvements in ops benefits over petrol/diesel in this sector yet?

[northernladuk]

Just giving something the once over for a pal of mine.

You lie. You have no pals...

EDIT : Oops sorry, thought OP was Vetran

[vetran]

You lie. You have no pals...

EDIT : Oops sorry, thought OP was Vetran

Yo Mama's my pal!

[courtg9000]

You lie. You have no pals...

EDIT : Oops sorry, thought OP was Vetran

LOL

[Paddy]

Just giving something the once over for a pal of mine.
New Company. Van purchase/lease is being looked at. Do any of my learned colleagues know of any improvements in ops benefits over petrol/diesel in this sector yet?

FYI, during the winter, I have been driving a selection of electric cars in London and they are f-ing cold with inadequate and power thirsty heaters. It was utter relief to get back into my Diesel car, stay warm and not being concerned and about power draining.

[courtg9000]

FYI, during the winter, I have been driving a selection of electric cars in London and they are f-ing cold with inadequate and power thirsty heaters. It was utter relief to get back into my Diesel car, stay warm and not being concerned and about power draining.

Thanks for this. Suspect my mate could have an issue with grumpy staff then given the task the van will be used for!

[FIERCE TANK BATTLE]

It depends entirely on many factors including range, speed, and charging ability where the van will be stored.

If you are pootling around the city, for example you are a plumber and you do 10 jobs a day and your total mileage for the day is like, 30 miles, and you park your van on the driveway of your house and have an EV charger installed, then you're golden.

If you're a delivery driver that transports items long distances on the motorway, then don't get an EV.

The slower you drive the more efficient, so town driving where you never exceed 30mph will give you more value than going 70mph.

Also in the winter the heating can really tank the battery. If you're going short distances or wearing a lot of clothing, or doing physical labour to load the van and at the jobsite, it is less of an issue. Also depends on how much comfort you're willing to sacrifice, because electric seats and a coat instead of the heating will add quite a lot of range.

If you have very fussy drivers that will spend long periods in the van and want to be warm you can expect your town mileage to be double digits. Motorway driving at 70mph + heating it will be atrocious mileage. Another thing to note is that you get more out of your EV by driving slower on the motorway, which some people might not like.

[courtg9000]

It depends entirely on many factors including range, speed, and charging ability where the van will be stored.

If you are pootling around the city, for example you are a plumber and you do 10 jobs a day and your total mileage for the day is like, 30 miles, and you park your van on the driveway of your house and have an EV charger installed, then you're golden.

If you're a delivery driver that transports items long distances on the motorway, then don't get an EV.

The slower you drive the more efficient, so town driving where you never exceed 30mph will give you more value than going 70mph.

Also in the winter the heating can really tank the battery. If you're going short distances or wearing a lot of clothing, or doing physical labour to load the van and at the jobsite, it is less of an issue. Also depends on how much comfort you're willing to sacrifice, because electric seats and a coat instead of the heating will add quite a lot of range.

If you have very fussy drivers that will spend long periods in the van and want to be warm you can expect your town mileage to be double digits. Motorway driving at 70mph + heating it will be atrocious mileage. Another thing to note is that you get more out of your EV by driving slower on the motorway, which some people might not like.

The purpose of the van is actually for advertising, it will be strategically driven and also strategically parked.

[Paddy]

If you have very fussy drivers that will spend long periods in the van and want to be warm you can expect your town mileage to be double digits. Motorway driving at 70mph + heating it will be atrocious mileage. Another thing to note is that you get more out of your EV by driving slower on the motorway, which some people might not like.

During the cold snap there was a six hour queue on the M3 service area to charge EVs. People had the heating on and the range dropped 30% therefor those people expecting to reach their destination and then charge were caught out. It only takes a couple of incidents like that to lose time and revenue and take away the advantage of using EVs.

If I need to go to Scotland or Rotterdam I can do that non-stop; all I need to do is get a tank of Diesel that would last until I return. It would be too slow and inconvenient to do in an EV.

[d000hg]

Just giving something the once over for a pal of mine.
New Company. Van purchase/lease is being looked at. Do any of my learned colleagues know of any improvements in ops benefits over petrol/diesel in this sector yet?

A tradesman I know is in theory quite keen because he only drives a few miles a day to jobs, but the prices are eye-watering currently. We have chatted about if/when you'd be able to retrofit your own EV drivetrain (he's also a competent mechanic who rebuilds cars as a hobby).

I know a local charity who has an EVan - they collect food-waste from supermarkets etc using it. But I think they got a grant or something to make it affordable.

I suppose you could have greater battery storage in a van to offset the problems of transporting heavy stuff around.