LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) has partnered with fleet management firm Rivus to double the service and maintenance network for its new electric van.

LEVC’s authorised UK service network is doubling in size under the new partnership with Rivus Fleet Solutions

The electric range-extender VN5 – on sale now and starting first deliveries in Q4 – uses the e-City range-extender technology already been seen in LEVC’s TX taxi, bringing a total range in excess of 300 miles. It’s being positioned as a cleaner alternative to diesel vans for ‘distribution-to-door’, not just last-mile services, as LEVC plans on “revolutionising the diesel-dominated commercial vehicle industry”.

The manufacturer has already said the vans will boast 25,000-mile service intervals, keeping downtime to a minimum for operators, while the warranty is said to be class-leading.

The tie-up with Rivus – previously known as BT Fleet Solutions – will also support the VN5’s adoption by fleets by adding an additional 20 authorised service centres to LEVC’s existing 17 sites; more than doubling LEVC’s service footprint in the UK.

Each authorised site will be able to carry out servicing, maintenance, general repairs and MoTs for the LEVC TX taxi as well as the VN5.

The garages have been carefully selected to provide coverage throughout the UK.

Joerg Hofmann, LEVC CEO, commented: “We are delivering on our commitment to ensure that our customers are never further than a 45-minute drive from an authorised site.”

Rivus said its well-established garage network infrastructure has made it uniquely placed to support LEVC.

Garage services director, Geoff Allison explained: “As we have a national footprint, a long experience in supporting manufacturer warranties and a team of multi-skilled technicians at every site, we can offer the flexibility and scale that meets the needs of a leading electric vehicle manufacturer. Our agreement with LEVC has created a real buzz around Rivus and this represents a key milestone for us as the industry moves towards a greener future.”

He added: “We’re also excited to learn even more about the LEVC VN5 as potential fleet vehicle for our customers. There’s a rapidly growing need for commercial vehicle operators to have access to alternative fuel vehicles and LEVC’s VN5 model will help deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions.”

As well as its 300-mile range, the VN5 – which is currently on trial with fleets including Royal Mail –  brings up to 5.5m3 capacity and has been designed to easily accommodate two Euro-sized pallets with a gross payload of 830kg. It has been built with a large side-loading door (enabling a pallet to be side-loaded) and a 60/40 split door at the rear to make loading and unloading easy for the driver.