4.25 tonne electric vehicles facing MOT crisis
Just two per cent of DVSA test centres in the UK are equipped to carry out MOTs on 4.25 tonne electric vehicles.
New data has revealed that of the 23,000 test centres in the UK just 563 Authorised Test Facilities (ATFs) and five DVSA Goods Vehicle Test Stations (GVTSs) can carry out MOT tests for electric vans weighing more than 3.5t.
This lack of availability could force businesses to take vans off the road.
Alongside inadequate MOT infrastructure, there is also uncertainty around the MOT requirements for 4.25 tonne electric vehicles. The government’s ongoing consultation on zero emission vehicles is considering introducing greater regulatory flexibility around EV vans to encourage uptake.
This could include transferring the annual testing of zero emission goods vehicles weighing between 3.5t and 4.25t from the heavy vehicle testing system to the general MOT network.
MOT deferrals
Faced with this lack of MOT availability and uncertainty, the Association of Fleet Professionals and Venson Automotive Solution have called for an official deferral on MOTs for these vehicles.
Lee O’Neill, operations director, Venson Automotive Solutions said:
“As well as highlighting a lack of test centres, the DVSA holds no data on historic and current lead times on MOTs for electric vans weighing 3.5 tonnes or above or how many have had an MOT already carried out. According to the DVSA, this data is only held by the Authorised Test Facilities.”
O’Neill continued: “With results of the government consultation not due until 3 March, fleets with 4.25 tonne electric vans are really beginning to struggle. With no DVSA data existing on MOTs for these vehicles, and an obvious lack of testing facilities, how did government ever expect to plan for scheduled testing? Let’s hope the AFP’s call for special dispensation allowing fleets to defer testing, is successful to avoid those businesses, supporting UK environmental targets by going electric, from suffering commercially.”
