Lack of charging points holds up EV van take-up

Some 41% of fleets surveyed said there were not enough public charge points, while 25% had no chargers at their offices. 39% also said there was no charging available at their employees’ homes.

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory UK, said: “In our findings, 70% of companies mention at least one challenge related to charging points, so this is clearly a widespread issue.

“To some extent, the answer can be in the hands of employers. If there are no charging points at offices or at the homes of employees who have off-road parking for a charger to be fitted, then companies could take action to resolve these problems.

“However, there is much that remains outside their control. While the public charging infrastructure is growing, it remains patchy in places and where employees live in terraced housing or apartments, installation of on-street charging is very limited although that situation is starting to improve.”

Some 30% of fleets surveyed cited the comparatively high purchase price of electric vehicles (EVs), 23% said that the model line-up of EVs was too restricted and 18% said that EVs did not have long enough driving range for their use.16% said that employee resistance to EVs was limiting fleet electrification.

Peters said: “The price of acquisition of electric vehicles is now becoming very close to the same as ICE equivalents, especially when leased.

“As for model ranges being too limited, there are some potential gaps in general availability – such as proper 4x4s and pick-ups – but again, there are models appearing that should help to resolve these issues.

“It’s also interesting that fewer than one in five fleets mention range as an issue. Just a few years ago, we’re confident that this would’ve been a major concern, but it appears that the 250–350-mile range typically found on fleet electric vehicles today is sufficient for most needs.”