5,000th electric van for Openreach

To support the transition, Openreach has installed more than 2,500 chargers at its sites, as well as engineers’ homes. It has also partnered with First Bus to enable engineers to charge their vans at First Bus depots.

Clive Selley, CEO at Openreach, said: “As we continue our work to connect homes and businesses to the UK’s most reliable broadband technology, we also want to help build a cleaner, greener future. We know the impact our operations have, so seeing our 5,000th electric van on the road is a proud moment for everyone at Openreach.

“By continuing to upgrade our fleet and by installing EV chargers in our engineers’ homes and our operational sites we’re removing barriers to adoption, improving air quality and supporting the communities we serve.”

The 5,000th van was given a special ‘Let’s Reach Zero’ design in partnership with Stewart Signs. Openreach’s EV fleet will save 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, the equivalent of removing 7,000 petrol cars from UK roads.

The fleet electrification scheme is part of Openreach’s plan to become carbon neutral by the end of Q1 2031.