Nearly 20 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved every year if the UK’s van fleet was converted into fully electric vans, according to new research by Vauxhall. Vauxhall calculated how much CO2 could be saved every year if the country’s van fleet converted into electric Light Commercial Vehicles (e-LCVs) that produce zero tailpipe emissions. Using official UK Government and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures, Vauxhall calculated vans account for 18.2% of the UK’s annual transport related CO2 emissions and 4.6% of the country’s total annual carbon emissions. With 4.77 million petrol or diesel vans on the road, and with an average annual mileage of 13,000 according to the Department for Transport, van drivers in the UK cover more than 62 billion miles annually. Using the SMMT’s average new van emissions estimate of 195.7 g/km CO2 as the fleet average emissions, Vauxhall calculated annual emissions exceeding 19.5 million tonnes of CO2. Last year, more than 16,000 electric LCVs were delivered to businesses and customers across the country, a rise of 31.2% over the previous year. As one of few manufacturers in the country to offer fleets and businesses a fully electric van across its line-up, Vauxhall was the UK’s best-selling e-LCV manufacturer in 2022, with the Vivaro Electric the best-selling e-LCV model in the country. However, e-LCVs accounted for just 5.9% of total van registrations in 2022, well behind the 16.6% 2022 market share for electric cars, and quite far off the 10% proposed mandate for 2024 for e-LCV sales. As well as zero tailpipe emissions, electric vans offer businesses a number of benefits, including exemption from current congestion and emissions zone charges.
James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: “Vauxhall is fully committed to electrification, and remains one of few manufacturers in the UK already able to offer fleets a zero-emissions-in-use vehicle across its entire LCV range. Our research highlights the importance in electrifying the country’s businesses to help meet the UK’s Net Zero targets, and comes at a time when the UK is considering imposing further measures to increase electric vehicle uptake.”
Keyword: 19.5 million tonnes CO2 could be saved if UK vans were electric