Range labelling for electric vans needs a complete overhaul to ensure fleet adoption, the Association of Fleet Professionals has warned.

The AFP is calling for WLTP labelling for vans to cover a variety of payload and weather variations

The organisation said the current system is “at best, inaccurate” and, at worst, is leading to fleets buying vehicles that are “not fit for purpose”.

The AFP warned last year that real-world ranges for electric vans were falling far short of WLTP figures – and it’s now said that this winter has only made the problem more apparent.

“We’ve had reports during the last few weeks from operators of electric vans with a WLTP range of 200 miles experiencing half that range with a full load in cold conditions,” stated chair Paul Hollick. “That’s a reduction that is extremely difficult for fleet managers to work their way around in operational terms.”

The AFP is calling for WLTP labelling for vans to cover a variety of payload and weather variations, not just focusing on a load-free vehicle in warm conditions.

“Ideally, we’d end up with a grid that perhaps showed how vans operated with no load, a medium load and a full load in warm, normal and cold conditions. Also, it would be useful to know something about towing capacity. This is not a complex or onerous request but a fundamental one bearing in mind the technology.

“Ultimately, having an accurate idea of how electric vans will perform in real world conditions is critical to their successful adoption. Fleet managers can’t make informed buying decisions without having a good indication of range. Instead, they are coming into work on cold mornings and finding that the routes they had planned are unviable, sometimes creating huge difficulties.”

The AFP also stressed that many fleets were operating electric vans without issue because their operational needs were less demanding.

“If you’re allocating electric vans with a light load to local routes, then you are unlikely to encounter any problems, and we have many members in that position for whom electrification is proving relatively easy.

“However, if you have bought a van with a 200-mile range because you need a 200-mile range, then the WLTP figures could result in you acquiring a vehicle that just doesn’t meet your requirements.”

But Hollick warned that immediate change to the WLTP standard was unlikely as the agreement is made at a United Nations level.

“Perhaps there is potential for the UK to introduce its own labelling system alongside WLTP, perhaps as a manufacturer initiative and especially for light commercial vehicles, but this may also be a long shot.

“However, what is abundantly clear is that the existing WLTP range figures for electric vans are not fit for purpose and are acting as a potential roadblock to adoption. It’s a situation that benefits no-one – not manufacturers, not fleets, and not governments that want to see rapid adoption of zero emissions vehicles.”