UK fleet operators commit to taking diesel vans off roads

The newly-formed consortium – called the Clean Van Commitment – is backed by the 1837 Department for Transport and led by charity Global Action Plan and energy and services group Engie.

Bex Bolland, head of air quality at Global Action Plan, says the collective purchasing commitments of fleet leaders aiming to adopt electric vehicles will show manufacturers that demand is thriving.

“These 16 fleets will pave the way for the national fleet of four million vans to become zero emission, significantly improving the air we all breathe,” Bolland adds.

Additionally, the Clean Van Commitment aims to deliver 18,000 zero tailpipe emission vans by 2028 – as long as sufficient charging infrastructure and competitively-priced vehicles are available, it warns.

The report, a joint venture between the University of Oxford and the University of Bath, says vans drive 75 billion miles each year and contribute to 30% of the UK’s road transport nitrogen dioxide emissions. This means the health damage caused by vans is over three times the impact of a car - at £24,555 per annum in areas such as inner London, the study explains.

The health costs of air pollution from cars and vans shows London’s annual bill to the NHS is £285.5m, Birmingham’s £150m and Slough’s £50m.

Roads minister Jesse Norman says the research underlines the importance of a transition to greener transport.

“That is why the Clean Van Commitment is important, encouraging some of the biggest van fleet operators in the UK to switch to cleaner vehicles,” Norman adds.

The fleet operators have issued recommendations to help more van fleets make the switch to electric. These include more charging points, tax changes which support electric vans, a greater choice of electric van models and permission to add charging infrastructure to their depots.

As well as Engie, the full list of operators involved in the Clean Van Commitment is: Abel & Cole, Anglian Water, Environment Agency, Gateshead Council, Leeds City Council, London Borough of Hackney, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Network Rail, Northern Gas, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Council and Direct Services, Tesco, United Utilities, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Yorkshire Water are also members.