More businesses should explore electrifying their van operations to unlock reduced running costs.

Fleets going electric can further cut their running costs with Ohme’s Home Pro smart charger, while also operating more sustainably

The call comes from smart charger provider Ohme in the run-up to the 2022 Commercial Vehicle Show and as electric LCV uptake continues to grow.

Latest new van registrations data shows registrations of battery electric vans (BEVs) for the first four months of 2022 are up a staggering 65.8% on the same period in 2021. At present, one in 20 new vans (5.4%) sold in the UK are battery-powered and EV commercial vehicles continue to buck the downward trends of both the new van market overall and sales of diesel-powered vans that have fallen by 27.8%.

“At a time when everyone’s focus is on the high fuel prices at the pumps, companies switching their van fleets towards electric is an easy and obvious way to considerably reduce their running costs,” explained Peter McDonald, director of mobility at Ohme.

“Some companies have led the way by electrifying their van fleets, but many are still yet to make the move.

Electrification of van fleets will also become increasingly important for companies as a growing number of UK cities look to introduce Low Emission / Clean Air Zones on top of those already in existence. According to the latest figures from the Department for Transport, the average annual mileage of a van is around 13,000 miles with more than half remaining local and within 15 miles of their base on a typical day – a perfect usage profile for an electric van.

Fleets going electric can further cut their running costs with Ohme’s Home Pro smart charger, while also operating more sustainably by charging when renewable energy generation on the grid is at its highest.

The winner of the ‘Innovation in Electric Vehicles’ category at the 2022 Great British Fleet Awards, the charger can connect with the national grid in real time and automatically adjust its charging for drivers to take advantage of all the times of low-price charging with smart electricity tariffs.

The result is that electric van drivers and operators can typically save up to £1,000 by smart charging an electric van with an Ohme Home Pro charger compared to charging on standard electricity rates.

Furthermore, Ohme is alone in offering drivers and operators the option to charge their electric van when renewable energy generation on the grid is at its highest, further lowering their CO2 impact and helping companies to meet corporate sustainability targets.