A lot is written about the electrification of cars but not a great deal is said about electric powered vans here in the UK yet there are in excess of 4 million light commercial vehicles on our road system here in the UK. We are sure that you will agree that is a huge number of vehicles and inroads would be made into reducing carbon emissions if they were switched to battery power.

Well, according to a survey carried out on behalf of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) of van drivers who either lease or own a van here in the UK, 57% were concerned about replacing their current van with an electric van as a result of their perception that there are not enough charging points here in the UK to cope with demand.

Apparently, 88% of van owners felt that they might decide to move over to electric vans before 2035 comes along leaving 12% who would not. Of course, 2035 seems an awful long way away.

Another interesting statistic is that in excess of 33% of new vans that are sold here in the UK actually have a plug attached. Also, only 1 in 20 new vans sold in the UK are electric ones.

41% of van owners are put off from having an electric van as there was nowhere to charge the vehicle either at their place of work or home. 39% of van owners were reluctant to buy an electric van because they felt it would take too long to charge such a vehicle.

It is going to be interesting to see if the opinions of van drivers change towards electric vans in the next 2 or 3 years. Those producing and selling new electric vans will no doubt be hoping that this is the case. We will endeavor to continue to keep our readers up to date with relevant news.