Bedeo urges more Government support for zero emission vans

With just over two months remaining before year-end, the sector faces growing challenges in meeting the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate for electric van sales, a key issue as LCVs are now the largest polluters in the logistics industry, according to a recent McKinsey & Company report.

Osman Boyner, founder and CEO of Bedeo, said: “The government must act. We are currently 50 per cent off the target for the ZEV mandate for new electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs) in 2024. Market share is down to 5.1 per cent from 5.6 per cent in 2023 – it needs to be 10 per cent. Retrofitting diesel vans with electric drivetrains can help, but as a tool to electrify, retrofitting needs recognition and support. Electric retrofitting for vans is a crucial solution for businesses, especially as they grapple with costs and operational concerns when transitioning to brand-new electric vans – it just makes sense to retrofit what’s already there to run on electric power.”

Bedeo is urging the Government to expand support for retrofitting, which remains an unregulated and unsupported method despite being one of the most cost-effective and least disruptive options for fleet operators and SMEs. Bedeo’s Reborn Electric solutions can unlock benefits for fleet owners, including lowering total cost of ownership, a reduction in tailpipe emissions, lowering carbon emissions at a vehicle manufacturing level, plus the ability to retain the original vehicle’s fit out.

Available in pure electric form, the BE models can either be fitted with a 37 kWh, 75 kWh or 110 kWh battery, which provides drivers with 117 km, 248 km or 364 km WLTP range respectively.

The range extender RE-100 retains the original diesel engine and adds a 37 kWh battery to provide 117 km of electric range and 600 km through its range extender. The RE-100 provides the ability for fleets to travel in towns and cities on electric-only mode and utilise the original (often Euro 6 standard) diesel engine to drive to and from the out-of-town depots.

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