BT Group is adding around 3,500 new electric vans to its fleet, heralding the UK’s largest-ever eLCV order according to the telecoms giant.

The vans will be delivered by Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault over the next two years

The vans will be delivered by Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault over the next two years and will mean BT Group has nearly 8,000 EVS on its fleet; said to be the largest in the UK.

The order is part of a larger consignment of 6,000 new vehicles, with more than half of the vans being EVs.

BT Group, which includes Openreach, manages the second-largest commercial vehicle fleet in the UK, with more than 27,000 vehicles used by engineers across the country.

The incoming electric vans will support the upgrade of BT’s broadband and mobile network. The group’s full-fibre broadband network covers more than 16 million homes and businesses in the UK, with engineers from Openreach building to more premises every week, on track to reach 25 million premises by the end of 2026.

BT Group engineers also look after more than 19,500 mobile masts for the EE mobile network and maintain around 5,600 telephone exchanges, from Shetland to the Isles of Scilly.

Simon Lowth, chief financial officer, BT Group, said: “By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future.

“As we extend our full-fibre build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks. Our modern fleet will help us to be more efficient and deliver a better service for our customers.”

Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister, said: “Businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the transition to electric cars and vans. That’s why it’s fantastic to see that BT Group have made the most of our Plug-in Van Grant to order 3,500 brand-new EVs – which means they will have the largest electric commercial fleet in the UK.

“We want to help more businesses decarbonise their operations, and we’ve extended our plug-in van grant with £120m funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3bn to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success.”

BT Group’s latest electric vans support its ongoing work on climate action. The telecoms firm aims to become net zero for its own emissions by the end of March 2031, targeting net zero for supply chain and customer emissions by the end of March 2041.