The Emergence of the Electric Van
According to current statistics, there are approximately 3,000,000 diesel vans on British roads and some 500,000 lorries. Given that the average articulated lorry, when fully laden, will offer just 8 miles to the gallon, it is hardly a surprise that lorry drivers tend to protest when fuel costs rise. It is also clear that the greatest impact of these three and a half million fuel guzzling vehicles is borne by the environment. However, whilst traditional diesel or petrol vans and lorries will continue to clock up billions of miles on British roads each year, there are more eco-friendly alternatives available.
Indeed, the Modec van was launched in 2007 having been in development for several years. Although sales are only just beginning to represent the strengths of the Modec van, the vehicle’s eco-friendly vital statistics are undeniably attractive. Whereas an average diesel van will cost around £100 to fill up, the electric Modec van costs just £5 for a full charge. Moreover, it offers none of the noise and air pollution associated with conventional vans. In fact, the Modec Van is a Zero Emission Vehicle (Zev).
In terms of range, which is one of the main reasons why many delivery companies have not switched over to commercial electric vans, the Modec van offers a respectable 100 miles on a six hour charge. Nevertheless, the real strive towards greener commercial vehicles comes in the form of Renault and Nissan’s ‘Project Better Place’, which aims to introduce an electric car battery station network by 2011. The effect of deploying such a network would be to provide a virtually infinite trade of spent batteries for fully charged replacements, which could keep heavy load vehicles on the go for thousands of miles or more.
