When it comes to vehicle fuel choices, it looks like fleet managers and individual tradespeople alike are entering a brave new world. In the last few months alone, Renault announced that half of its cars would be electric or hybrid by 2022, Paris has plans to go electric-only by 2030, Shell announced plans to open electric charging points at its petrol stations, and British electric car registrations continued to gather remarkable pace.
Yet for long-haul, large jobs that require bigger vans, the same breadth of options isn’t really available – but there’s still flexibility. Here’s our quick guide on things to prioritise when getting the best fuel source for your van.
Key things to remember
Be reasonable about how environmentally friendly you want to be. It’s impressive for a business to pride itself on being as green as possible – and often, it can lead to a much better public perception and more work as a result – but you need to make sure that your investment in green fuels pays off, and you meet your bottom line.
Know how much driving you need to do. Electric vans are fantastic investments if you want to cover short distances each day. But if you find yourself routinely going 80 miles or more every day, then these won’t get you everywhere you need to be – not unless you’re near a charging station, and you’ve got plenty of time to kill.
Is it fuel, or driver action, at fault for higher costs? We’ve talked about this a lot, but it’s very important. With telematics, you can analyse a driver’s habits to see how they’re using fuel – from hard acceleration to poor braking discipline, there are loads of factors that can hit fuel use hard. While there’s almost certainly an argument for an alternatively fuelled van in any circumstances, costs can usually be cut immediately with better skills behind the wheel.
It’s not all just electric. Contrary to popular belief, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is still going strong – you’ll see it more often than not at petrol stations up and down the UK. What’s more, companies are capable of converting existing vans for as little as £1,500, and running costs will almost halve. It’s also better for the environment. After 100,000 miles, you could save well over £3,500 in fuel over a regular diesel engine.
…but electric vans are getting better every year. The Nissan e-NV200, which we love – as do our customers – has a range of up to 106 miles on one charge. It makes it perfect for inner-city and urban driving, especially in London, where it completely avoids the Congestion Charge. And with fewer moving parts, the cost of upkeep is lowered significantly – there are fewer opportunities to break down!
…then again, so are regular-fuel vans. Last but not least, it’s still worth sticking up for modern technology’s role in getting the very most out of petrol and diesel. Some smaller vans can get MPG in the 60s, while you’ll find they rarely – if ever – dip below 45mpg on medium panel vans. The Fiat Ducato – one of the largest you can get – does 47mpg. And with diesel sold in every service station, you’ll never be caught short.
