In 2021 Clean Air Zones have launched, or will launch, in Birmingham, Bath, Oxford, Bristol and Portsmouth alongside an expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone in October, while Manchester is slated for 2022. In the case of Birmingham, that means a daily charge of £50 for entry while for Bristol and London the charge rises to £100.
Major fleets that are buying hundreds of eLCVs and blazing a trail, and there are those who are not enthusiastic but view the arrival of electric vans as something they just have to do. However, it is not difficult to find others who are determined to drag their heels and this has potential implications for fleet van operations. Especially among SMEs, it is not unusual to find vehicles that are 6-8 years old still in daily use.
A survey carried out by Vansdirect, the Newport-based national online retailer, found that 31% of respondents are ‘not likely’ to make the change with only 18% saying they were ‘highly likely’ to buy an electric van.
In 2021 Clean Air Zones have launched, or will launch, in Birmingham, Bath, Oxford, Bristol and Portsmouth alongside an expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone in October, while Manchester is slated for 2022.
With the Bath CAZ already in place and Birmingham and Bristol to follow, as well as the upgraded London Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) now in effect, the fleet software specialist FleetCheck said that some businesses are only now starting to realise that they need to ensure that they have sufficient Euro 6 LCVs available.
While the drive to reduce toxic pollutants from our high streets and surrounding neighbourhoods has been welcomed by many, others are worried such measures will have serious implications for local residents, business owners and hospital visitors, to name a few.
As new emission zones start up, single van operator’s costs could double to £2,500 and, for a small fleet of 5 vans and 1 truck, triple in size to £56,000 over a 12-month period.
Call for a vehicle appropriate ULEV standard, which is agreed nationally before Local Authorities implement any ultra-low emission requirements.
