Commercial vehicle fleet managers are missing out on £2.6 billion worth of fuel savings because they do not use low emission vehicles.
The claim comes from Go Ultra Low, a website which provides information on low emission vehicles, who say that by opting for an ultra low emission van would pay dividends.
They say that when comparing the cost of a diesel van, around half – 1.8 million of the UK’s 3.7 million vans – could save on average £1,459 every year in fuel costs per vehicle.
With thousands of vehicle operators running small and medium-sized vans as short haul vehicles or back-to-base runners, they say these roles are ideally suited to pure electric vans.
Commercial vehicle fleets should have the Nissan e-NV200
Operators, they say, should be using vehicles such as the Renault Kangaroo Z.E. or the more popular Nissan e-NV200 as well as plug-in hybrids such as the Mitsubishi Outlander 4Work.
The Go Ultra Low campaign is an initiative that has been created by the country’s automotive industry and the government to highlight the fuel savings that could come with using non-diesel vehicles.
Head of the campaign, Hetal Shaw, said: “Vehicles that have ultra low emissions make sense for operators considering the massive feel savings on offer.
“There’s also the opportunity to write off the vehicle cost and add in the lower maintenance fees and tax rates and reduce whole life running costs then they make a compelling option.”
Cash benefits with ultra low commercial vehicle fleets
Commercial vehicle fleet managers thinking of switching to ultra low emission vehicles can benefit with a government grant worth up to £8,000 towards its purchase and 100% of its value can be written off as a capital allowance.
Many of the vehicles have CO2 emissions of 75g/km, or less, and ultra low emission vehicles do not have to pay road tax.
In addition, there’s also a growing network of free recharging points around the country and not having the London congestion charge to pay.
These are growing attractions for running such vehicles and they are becoming more popular.
The ultra low campaign is an initiative supported by the likes of Nissan, BMW, Mitsubishi, Audi, VW, Toyota and Renault and it’s the first of its kind.