LeasePlan presents its White Paper on Zero Emissions

Why it's time to move to an electric vehicle fleet is the title of this study, which, according to LeasePlan's Ceo,Tex Gunning, reveals that "electric delivery vehicles are a great way to meet this growing demand for online shopping and delivery services, without sacrificing air quality in our towns and cities. For Gunning, "now more than ever people are relying on next-day delivery services, and this has led to a huge increase in parcel traffic in urban centers. For this reason, "our research shows that there is now a whole range of next-generation electric delivery vehicles about to come onto the market that could transform urban commercial mobility. In short: there is no excuse not to switch your white van to a green one and make zero emission deliveries the new norm". The LeasePlan White Paper stresses that the rise of strict low emission zones (LECs) in cities across Europe is strengthening the demand for electric delivery vehicles, a trend that is reinforced by efforts to reduce the carbon footprint among business and public sector fleet operators.

Original equipment manufacturers are starting to introduce a new range of medium and large-sized electric delivery vehicles (e.g. Mercedes eVito and eSprinter), following new research showing that companies involved in last mile delivery services prioritise the total possible load volume over the maximum payload.

Most new electric delivery vehicles have an official range of about 160 km, and some manufacturers even claim that their latest vehicles can reach a range of up to 270 km. Therefore, the current average range capacity is usually sufficient to allow electric delivery vehicles to complete a day's deliveries without having to be recharged.

The total cost of ownership of electric delivery vehicles is becoming increasingly competitive as original equipment manufacturers develop a new range of "premium electric" delivery vehicles, rather than reconfiguring old ICE models. Lower battery costs and the wide availability of tax benefits and government incentives are also improving the cost competitiveness of electric delivery vehicles.