Calls for urgent revision on electric van targets

The mandate, which became law early 2024, levies incremental annual targets on vehicle makers for a percentage of new cars and vans to be zero-emission, backed by a system of fines and penalties for non-compliance.

The plan is for 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission this year, rising to 80% and 70% respectively by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

The SMMT and 12 major vehicle manufacturers wrote to the Chancellor earlier, calling for measures to help speed up the pace of the consumer and business EV transition. These include an extension on the Plug-in Van Grant past 2025, equalised VAT on public charging to match the 5% home charging rate and mandated infrastructure targets to support those who cannot charge at home and with provisions for the additional size and power requirements of zero-emission vans.

Venson has now warned that the targets for electric vans must be revised to reflect the pace at which fleets can adapt.

“Although the ZEV mandate states lower quotas for vans than for cars, it doesn’t take into account the pace at which electric vans can be taken into fleets,” said Simon Staton, client management director at Venson.

“The challenge for fleet operators is that the eLCVs currently available do not always meet business requirements. For example, the payload, mileage and charging infrastructure mean that electric vans can’t always meet the operational requirements of a business. Forcing a premature electric van transition would require a lot of planning and negotiation within a business, and sometimes unions, to change operational ways of working.”

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