Enterprise expands EV fleet with 100 vans

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent has added 100 plug-in electric vans to its rental fleet, which will be available for daily rental as well as for longer-term flexible rental.

Available at 14 Enterprise Flex-E-Rent depots in the South of England and the Midlands, the vans include Mercedes 55/44 kWh eSprinter vans, smaller 35 kWh Mercedes eVito Panel vans and Renault KANGOO E-Tech car-derived vans.
 
This investment will support businesses trying out electric vehicles as they plan for the ending of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030.
 
Danny Glynn, Managing Director of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, said: “We believe we have a valuable role to play in the decarbonisation of transportation through the adoption of the latest technologies. Enterprise was one of the first rental companies to experiment with electric vans. In 2018, we partnered with infrastructure services specialist FM Conway to trial the use of plug-in electric vans in its London operations.
 
“We are encouraging all business customers to trial plug-in electric vehicle technology, especially in areas where clean air or low emission zones are in place or likely to come into effect soon.
 
“Despite the perceptions around range and network, many businesses can quickly adapt to the requirements of using plug-in electric vehicles once they get started. There are many applications ideally suited for electric vans in service businesses and for deliveries, and we’re already discussing options with several of our customers.
 
“We are working with a range of stakeholders, including from government, utilities, infrastructure providers, vehicle manufacturers and other partners to collaborate on this topic. It will take everyone working together to ensure the market is ready to support the viability of EVs on a mass scale.”
 
The expanded electric van fleet marks the next step in Enterprise’s investment in alternative fuel vehicles. It follows the addition of 30 new electric Renault ZOE cars to Enterprise’s rental fleet in Scotland and its pilot programme of 17 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric cars in 2021.
 
Businesses looking to switch to electric vehicles in order to reduce emissions will also benefit from the additional financial flexibility that rental brings, enabling them to move away from the high capital costs of owning a vehicle fleet. Rental vehicles are also newer and equipped with the latest safety features.