CV Roundtable
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is not the case for early electric vehicles, as many of the first EVs were not fit-for-purpose. But technology is clearly maturing nicely, with batteries and motors getting better.” David went on to say that while the options are not vast, they do exist and more will come in the imminent future. He said “As well as Tevva’s range-extended electric trucks, which come in 7 to 14 tonnes, other viable alternatives are emerging, such as the recently launched electric Fuso eCanter. Meanwhile
Mark Lovett Mark Lovett is the head of commercial vehicles at LeasePlan UK. He has 20 years’ experience working in the UK LCV market with manufacturers and leasing companies. Mark created and deployed LeasePlan UK’s long term LCV strategy, adding over 100,000 vans to the LP UK funded fleet, doubling its LCV fleet size.
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Commercial Industry Professional, Leaseplan UK
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Volvo has announced they will launch an electric truck at the IAA show in Hannover in September.” Applauding progress Amanda Lyne, chair of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, and managing director of Ulemco, raised the point that there should not be an obsession with zero emission at this time, because “the danger of doing ‘all or nothing’ is that you don’t do anything.” Given the limited zero-emission alternatives for commercial vehicles, making a percentage improvement should be applauded, whether that’s using ultra-low emission vehicles, or only using zero-emission vehicles in certain operations where it is viable, Amanda believes. Iqbal Gill, procurement manager at Heathrow Airport, echoed this thought, saying that in the airport they operate a mix of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). “The PHEVs are doing 30 to 40 miles a day,
and while it’s not zero‑emission, it is a better option,” he said. Also in agreement, Rob Wood said: “There are choices out there, but not all are zero emission. If you accept that emission reduction is a good thing, then you open up a different set of options that are practical.” Sharing his experience of managing customers’ expectations on where electric vehicles will or won’t work, Mark Lovett, commercial vehicle specialist at Leaseplan, said: “Once we have sat down with customers and had a proper understanding about how they use their vehicles, we might say, ‘actually electric is not going to be right for that particular vehicle or division, but it would work in that one’. “We’ve seen some customers giving up on the idea that they need to change 50 per cent of their fleet to electric, but are happy with ten or 15 per cent because that is what’s realistic. It is still a great improvement and one that should be commended.” Mark continued: “The fit-for-purpose
With regards to electric vehicle technology, there were concerns around the table over the range of the vehicles, the refuelling infrastructure, the cost, and the lack of skilled support, training and maintenance services after sale
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