Europcar adds electric vans to fleet to help businesses go green

As part of its mission to help businesses make the switch to electric, Europcar Mobility Group UK is adding small electric panel vans to its nationwide fleet.

Available from Europcar locations across the UK on long term flex rental of three months or more, the Vauxhall Combo Electric and award-winning Renault Kangoo eTech provide businesses with an ideal entry route to electric motoring.

Head of Europcar Vans and Trucks, Keith Shorter, said: “While the electric car parc is growing significantly and businesses have greater confidence in their use, when it comes to electric vans the confidence is less evident. Latest data shows that electric vans represent around 1.4 per cent of all LCVs on UK roads.

"As the BVRLA has identified in its ‘Van Plan’, there are several hurdles organisations are finding hard to overcome, not least of which is the cost of entry. Winning the hearts and minds of drivers who will need to adapt to electric van usage is also critical. 

“Our goal is to make electric commercial motoring more accessible for more businesses by providing a choice of compact electric vans that can serve multiple use-cases.”

The Renault Kangoo E-Tech has a maximum load volume of up to 4.2m3 and maximum payload of up to 724kg. 

Its driving range of up to 186 miles, and the Type 2 slow charge and CCS rapid charger minimise downtime for charging as it takes 42 minutes to charge from 20 per cent to 80 per cent (approximately 105 miles of driving).

Shorter added: “These two small vans offer a wealth of practical, comfortable and tech features that make them perfect options for a wide range of business uses”, added Keith Shorter. “The rapid charging capability and long driving range mean these vans also offer businesses a great way to put electric vans to the test operationally, as a real-world test drive. 

“We are confident that adding these vans to the Europcar fleet will help SMEs and businesses running larger fleets reduce their carbon emissions without impacting productivity.”