UK fleets seek clarity about 2030 van ban

UK fleets are seeking clarity from their Government on whether diesel van production will be banned by 2030.

The Labour election manifesto pledged to reinstate the ban for cars to the end of this decade, but has yet to clarify whether the move will also apply to vans. The current phase out date for petrol and diesel vans is set for 2035.

Peter Golding, managing director of FleetCheck, highlighted the issue fleets in the UK are currently faced with, saying: “For many fleets, 2030 is less than one typical van replacement cycle away, and the lack of certainty is leaving them in an almost impossible situation.

“The AFP (Association of Fleet Professionals) says that reinstating the 2030 phase-out date for the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) vans is not ‘practicable’.

“While electric car adoption by fleets has generally been a considerable success and the 2030 phase-out is absolutely viable, almost the opposite is true of electric vans.

“Compromises over range, payload and charging times mean that fleet sales of new electric vans are struggling to rise above five per cent and there appears to be limited prospects of this changing dramatically unless that is some kind of unforeseen paradigm shift.”

Golding added that “almost all” fleets in the UK want to play their part in “creating cleaner air and minimising the impact of climate change – but they believe that the electric vans on offer currently are simply not fit for their needs”.

“You cannot force companies to buy vehicles they don’t want,” he said. “Certainly, we speak to more fleets that are planning to continue to operate diesel vans in perpetuity than those who see electrification from 2030 as a viable option.”

He concluded: “At the moment, it does look very much as though government policy is diametrically opposed to practical fleet considerations and, at some point, something will have to give.”