Cleaner vans for the future

IN October, the European Commission announced fuel efficiency proposals to reduce the average emissions of new vans sold in Europe to 175g CO2/km by 2016. This is 14% lower than the 203g/km average in 2007.

A long term target of 135g/km by 2020 was also proposed. You can check the emissions of new vans on the VCA database: www.vca.gov.uk/vandata.

Van Best Practice Programme launched
A brand new programme aimed at operators of vans up to 7.5 tonnes was launched on 10th November 2009 by the Department for Transport. The Van Best Practice Programme will operate in England as part of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Strategy, which aims to reduce the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.

Scrappage scheme enhanced
The government has put more money into the scrappage scheme. Changes to the programme now make it more attractive to van operators. Whilst cars have to be more than 10 years old to qualify, vans up to 3.5 tonnes registered on or before 28 February 2002 are now eligible. So if you have eight-year-old vans, you can get cash for scrapping them for something new.

An additional £100million funding was announced for the scheme on top of the initial £300 million. The scheme is now scheduled to close at the end of February 2010, or when the fund is exhausted.

That’s good news indeed. After all, when you have to keep an eye on the bottom line it can be tempting to keep old vans on the road rather than invest in new models. That can be a false economy. Older vehicles tend to be less reliable, more costly to maintain, less fuel efficient, and don’t always reflect well on your organisation. And although van residuals are currently strong, vehicle condition, both mechanical and cosmetic, is important if the best price is to be achieved.

One more thing; if you want to change a car for a van, or a van for a car, you can – as long as both old and new vehicles meet the criteria. And you can scrap and replace as many as you wish while funding is available.

Van sales down
Reflecting the health of the economy, UK van sales are much lower than last year; down 22.3% in September and 40.6% for the year to date – and they have been falling since May 2008.

Naturally, manufacturers have taken steps to cut production accordingly. So when demand starts to recover, stock could be in short supply and lead times long. This could mean further expense if you have to repair existing vehicles whilst awaiting delivery of new ones.

What van should you choose?
Manufacturers continue to introduce more fuel efficient models. The latest small cube vans from Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and Fiat offer load space and payload capacities only slightly lower than the next size category up, combined with improved fuel economy and lower emissions.

Larger vans are becoming more economical too, with low emission car technologies starting to be incorporated; the Ford Transit ECOnetic and the Mercedes Sprinter with a start-stop option for example.

Further information
If you require help or assistance with your business van or van fleet, call the Energy Saving Trust advice line on 0845 602 1425. Alternatively, visit www.EnergySavingTrust.org.uk

You can read a road test of the Ford Transit ECOnetic here: Transit ECOnetic, the fuel-saving Tranny.