Electric vans (a personal perspective)

It occurred to me quite recently that we rarely, if ever, hear horror stories from the operators of electric vans similar to those published by some electric car owners. And thinking about it more I cannot recall reading of any such dramas involving an EV van. Which set me thinking about why this should be.

We have all seen articles in the press outlining traumatic journeys such as the poor soul and his new Porche who went out for a “quick” 70-mile drive in the Peak District only for it to end up becoming a two-day journey requiring the unwanted addition of an overnight’s hotel accommodation. Closer to home I have a friend who went on a shopping trip to Ikea in Nottingham from her home in Northampton, a round trip that would normally take three and a half hours, which ended up taking just over 12 hours.

So, I began to wonder why there appears to be no corresponding electric van experiences? Are van drivers and operators so much less vocal when disater strikes, well I very much doubt it.

Then when thinking more about our own business at Multi Vehicle Technology (and I hasten to add we specialise in bespoke van conversions rather than cars) I realised that our customers come with fixed requirements specifying either an electric van or a traditional diesel, no discussion. In my experience I cannot recall a single client coming to us undecided on the subject. Indeed, they come to us with very firm and fixed needs for the base van, although many are not too bothered about model or make of manufacturer.

As we convert all models and weights of vans for a range of activities including Security vehicles, Cash-in-transit, Mobile libraries, Incident response vehicles and surveillance vans, and a lot more, our clients are naturally diverse and come from a wide range of industries, public services and many from not for profit organisations. Some of whom insistent on buying electric whilst others remain just as vehement about staying with the trusted combustion engine.

Which brings me neatly onto my eureka moment! This being that maybe van operators are much more savvy at assessing the pros and cons of electric vans with reference to their own specific operations than car owners who probably make their decisions, I begin to suspect, with their hearts, have concerns for the environment, or have a hankering for new technology, without perhaps considering in depth how, where and when they use their vehicle and whether it is the right choice for their personal activities.

As previously mentioned we do not, in general, work with standard saloon cars at MVTech (although we do convert rapid response vehicles for the emergency services!) so rather than give advice to potential EV car buyers that I am not qualified to provide I would suggest reading an on line article by GoCompare, which provides a wealth of well researched information for the car owner.

So, having put cars to one side, let us just consider a few of the key positives and negatives of going electric with an electric van.

Electric van positives

1. If your business includes driving into low emission zones on a regular basis (or all the time) then it must be a no brainer for an electric van to be the vehicle of choice.
2. The charging cost when using one’s own power source is lower than filling up with diesel and as most of our bespoke van conversions return to their base each day this makes charging cost effective and just as simple as filling up diesel at a fuel station.
3. For the inexperienced driver, an electric van is easier to drive (they are after all fully automatic), and for the experienced driver they are quieter and considered to be more pleasant to drive. Making for happy drivers!
4. To be seen to be driving an electric van can help create a positive green image for many businesses and public service providers.

Electric van negatives

1. Electric vans are more expensive to purchase than their diesel counterparts. So initial outlay can be hard to justify and even more so for the small business.
2. There is a need to plan well in advance when making a purchase as all EV manufacturers are currently quoting long lead times, for some as long as 9 months. Not easy to accept if a new van is required urgently.
3. The weight of batteries inevitably results in the load carrying capacity of most electric vans being lower than their diesel equivalent which can be a critical issue with serious implications for many of our clients.
4. Many of our exhibition vehicle and product sampling operators have a towing requirement to carry stock or excess equipment such as access steps and advertising materials (Brochures are ever so heavy!) and here too there is a lower weight capacity on trailer specification. Some EV vans do not even have a towing approval at all. And to make matters more difficult towing a trailer with an electric van can lose significant range capability.
5. Whilst most operators of emergency response vehicles operate locally others must travel long distances in which case the cost and delays associated with using public charging points must be considered.
6. Operators such as search and rescue organisations with their mobile command and control units may have the unenviable task of wanting to go electric but need to consider the practicalities of working in isolated areas and terrain for undetermined lengths of time and in cold conditions, none of which may suit an electric approach.
7. Not all electrical installations in older buildings can easily accommodate the addition of EV charging points and instead require upgrading first.

Demand for electric vans

However much most of us may want to change over to the use of electric vans there are a few barriers, which I can fully understand, and I imagine the reason all of our clients are so fixed in their decisions as to what they need to operate their business and services effectively. They are therefore I suspect just that bit more analytical when it comes to the pluses and the minuses of going electric than the average car driver.

And this is reflected in actual sales of new vehicles. According to data published by the SMMT electric van demand remained static at just 6.3 per cent in 2024 despite the van market being up 3 percent, representing a 3 year high.

A depressing statistic I suppose, but day in day out manufacturers are finding ways to improve their vans performances with a view to reducing the extensive list of negatives. So going electric will surely become an easier decision.

Just an amusing aside

I have tended to use the terminology “going electric” which just made me think of how the meaning of words and expressions change. My parents tell me that “going electric” was quite a controversial expression back in the crazy days of the swinging 1960’s when Bob Dylan caused a furore around the world by “going electric”, which for those not too aware of the incident referred to him using an electric rather than acoustic guitar on stage. How times change and so amusing how going electric continues to be such an emotional subject decades later.

So where does this leave our bespoke conversions of electric vans

We just want to do the best for our clients and certainly would not question their choice between electric and diesel. We can see and understand both sides of the debate which is why we continue to undertake our specialist bespoke van conversions on the base vehicle most appropriate to the individual client and their own operating needs.

That said I guess the three things that would undoubtedly make life easier for us and our clients would be if:

1. Electric vans could be produced at lower initial cost.
2. Electric vans were more readily available and not subject to such extended lead times.
3. The charging infrastructure could be improved evenly throughout the country.
4. Battery range improvements (and these are being made).

When these changes come about (and I am sure they will) no doubt operator confidence will improve too.

Bespoke van conversions

At Multi Vehicle Technology we are a large enough organisation to manage fleet conversions of all sizes but always consider ourselves to be small enough to provide that same service to those with just single van requirements. In short, we pride ourselves on our customer service on every job we take on, be it for a new conversion, a second-hand refurbishment or simply damage and repair.

We provide specialist vehicles to a broad range of industries, public services and not for profit organisations. Nor are we restricted to just working with vans. We also build light and heavier weight chassis cab bodies and undertake bus conversions along with articulated trailer conversions.

If you have a project you would like to discuss, please call us on 0116 326 0989 or write to us at sales@multivehicletechnology.co.uk

Personal observations by Scott Walker