In the first episode of Adventures in Trade, we spoke to Paul Thorley from Solent Vehicle Consultants
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We also spoke about the available vans on the market, the big question about Hydrogen and a few case studies.
Are electric vans currently suitable for the trade?
It really depends on your use case, however, the technology in electric vans are in desperately trying to catch up with the car market where most of the investment has been.
If you operate a very high mileage business, or you have a very heavily laden goods van then at the moment the technology is probably not quite there for you. Electric purists would say that it is possible, but with longer charge times for large battery vans, the average small trade business should wait.
However, the vast majority of trade businesses tend to operate in a small region. If you are operating within a 100 mile radius an electric van probably makes a lot of sense. There are lots of options on the market today that both have a decent range and fast enough charge time that the savings on fuel make electric highly attractive for the trade.
What’s more important, battery range or speed of charging?
Again, the answer to this question really depends on your use case. For most trade businesses it would make more sense to have a van with a smaller battery but faster charging. However, if you operate long distances and are happy with a longer charge time then there are vans on the market that can support 250 miles on a single charge.
Should I wait for Hydrogen Vans?
With the combustion engine being banned in the UK from 2030 a lot of trade companies are thinking about alternatives to battery-powered vehicles. Hydrogen is something that seems to be talked a lot about but with little substance. Today all of the man
ufacturing spend is very much forced on electric which means it is unlikely hydrogen vehicles will be ready for 2030.
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