Sixteen major fleets make the Clean Van Commitment

Sixteen of the UK’s largest fleet operators, including Engie, Tesco, Anglian Water, Leeds City Council, Network Rail and Yorkshire Ambulance Service, have pledged to increase their uptake of electric vehicles by signing the Clean Van Commitment.

These fleet operators will be investing an initial £40 million over the next two years, purchasing 2,400 electric vans, to signal to manufacturers that the demand is there.

The DfT backed Clean Van Commitment, led by Global Action Plan in partnership with Engie, is a collective response from van operators that is creating a clean signal to Government, manufacturers and the National Grid that they are dedicated to immediately delivering zero tailpipe emissions.

The Commitment includes two targets.  The first target is an immediate commitment to switching a proportion of their fleet by 2020 of 2,400 vehicles and a longer term commitment to deliver zero tailpipe emissions by 2028 of more than 18,000 vans if sufficient charging infrastructure and competitively priced electric vans are available. This will not only help bring down the price of new electric vans it will stimulate the second hand EV market in four to six years.

Bex Bolland, Head of Air Quality, Global Action Plan said:  “Today marks a significant moment for the UK’s van sector. For the first time, we know just how quickly van fleet leaders aim to adopt electric vehicles. Their collective purchasing commitments show manufacturers that demand is thriving, and will help energy sector, local authority and central government planning. These 16 fleets will  pave the way for the national fleet of 4 million vans to become zero emission, significantly improving the air we all breathe.”

The companies signed up to Clean Van Commitment is Abel & Cole, Anglian Water, ENGIE, Environment Agency, Gateshead Council, Leeds City Council, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Network Rail, Northern Gas, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Council and Direct Services, Tesco, United Utilities, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Yorkshire Water.