EV van shortage slowing switchover

Businesses can’t get hold of the electric vans needed to switch their fleets due to supply shortages, which is severely hampering their vital transition to clean vehicles.

These are the findings of the international NGO Climate Group, which represents 28 leading UK businesses.

Shortage of EV supply is most acute in the UK’s commercial van sector, with businesses ready to invest but unable to secure the electric vehicles that meet their specifications in the quantity they need.

Figures released recently by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that less one in 24 new van registrations were battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with only 25 models available for purchase in the UK.

Thanks to much more variety and wider availability, the market share of electric cars in the overall car market is three times greater than fully electric van’s share of the UK’s van market. Shortages are slowing uptake and causing it to lag behind.

According to Climate Group, manufacturers have a mountain to climb to ramp up variety and quantity ahead of 2024, when the first sales targets for zero-emission cars and vans come into force through the UK’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

Sandra Roling, director of transport at Climate Group, said: “Market uptake of electric vans must accelerate. The businesses we work with are keen to buy the vehicles, but they can’t get them in the number and specifications they need.”

“An ambitious ZEV mandate is one of the most important measures the UK Government can introduce to rapidly increase market supply, alongside continued investment in charging infrastructure across the country.”