Government research into the enablers and barriers that commercial fleet operators and drivers face in adopting electric vans is now out.

The study found that operators with eLCVs tended to run businesses with shorter drive distances per shift

The report on ‘EV adoption and smart charging for electric vans and commercial fleets’ was carried out by transport consultancy and research firm TRL for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) prior to the UK general election in July 2024. Together with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV), DESNZ has since reviewed the findings which are being used to inform policy development.

Areas under research included the types of fleets adopting electric vans. The study found that operators with eLCVs tended to run businesses which required shorter drive distance per shift and/or where drive distances were more consistent, reducing concerns around range.

It was also notable that businesses that had adopted electric vans tended to have done so for only part of their fleet where electric vans were deemed suitable for operations.

The study also looked at the charging patterns of commercial van fleets. The report found that most electric van charging was reported to be done overnight, either at the depot or using private or on-street residential chargers.

During the day, enroute charge points were reported to be the main charging sites, followed by the depot.

Overall, operators and drivers who participated in this research seemed supportive of electric vans in theory and were mostly aware of government targets to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

But the research showed barriers still exist to uptake – in particular range and also whether the advertised range of vans was accurate for payloads.

Research participants also felt that there wasn’t currently a cost-effective and feasible way to charge electric vehicles. Many don’t use a back-to-depot model which means that they would be reliant on public charging. Some felt that public charging is expensive and would negate any cost savings achieved by the overall lower cost of electricity, compared to petrol or diesel. Other challenges included a perception that charge points for business vehicles are hard to find, may not be in working order, may not be suitable for large vans and may require waiting for long periods of time.

Respondents also said that home charging by drivers was not always possible or practical. Many drivers reported that installing a charge point at their home would not be feasible, and operators were worried about some of the practicalities around ownership of and responsibility for charge points, along with reimbursement processes.

Those who did operate a back-to-depot model cited the cost of installing charging infrastructure at depots as a barrier. Operators cited the cost of large upgrades to site power supplies to be a barrier despite some awareness of the Workplace Charging Scheme and electric vehicle infrastructure grants.

Participants also reported that adopting electric vans seemed complex and daunting. Some indicated that they were unsure where to begin and who to trust for advice. Some felt that they were having to navigate this new area alone, with little joined-up approach across businesses and regions.

Recommendations to government and local authorities

The report sets out several recommendations to local and central government to overcome these barriers.

The report suggested revamping existing charge point grants or creating new ones to cover the upgrading of power supply to businesses

These include supporting vehicle manufacturers to improve vehicle range technology, for example by continuing the Faraday Battery Challenge funding.

It also suggested the Government consider expanding existing charge point grants or creating new ones to cover the upgrading of power supply to businesses as well as raising awareness of these grants.

The report has also called for the Government to commission work to validate and develop potential business models around shared private charging facilities, which could inform the development of a blueprint for this type of facility like the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is already doing, and consider reserving some public charge points for commercial vehicles only.

And the document said the Government should help guide operators and fill knowledge gaps on adopting electric vans and also mooted a knowledge-sharing community – potentially facilitated by trade associations – to encourage operators who have upgraded infrastructure to share their experiences and learnings.

The report also recommended work to explore the merits of an updated Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) for commercial vehicles to improve the validity of range data. Original equipment manufacturers could benefit from market advantages by carrying out testing with different payloads and releasing the resulting data to operators.

It’s also called for vehicle makers and trade associations to work together to make demonstrator vehicles more readily available across business sizes.

The report also contains detail about several other barriers identified as well as appropriate recommendations to address them.

The full report is online here.