Businesses are also implementing operational strategies to accommodate the shift towards electric vans. Credit: Scharfsinn / Shutterstock.

The Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer for 2024 has surveyed fleet usage of electric vans as they transition from diesel.

The study found that a higher percentage of fleets are deploying small electric vans for daily distances exceeding 100 miles (38%) compared to those covering shorter distances (25%).

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For medium-sized vans, 37% are used for longer routes against 24% for shorter ones while large vans see 35% covering over 100 miles daily, compared to 28% for less than that.

Businesses are also implementing operational strategies to accommodate the shift towards electric vans.

These include prioritising usage where a lighter payload is feasible (30%), avoiding the need for on-the-go recharging (28%), ensuring charging facilities are available (25%), and eliminating towing requirements (20%).

John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “These are new questions for the Arval Mobility Observatory in 2024 and reveal some very interesting trends in terms of how van fleets are handling electrification. 

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“More than anything, they show a highly practical approach to adoption. These operators are working around the current limitations of their electric vans, by using them in operational roles for which they are better suited – for example, carrying lighter loads or avoiding towing.”

He added that the data showing large numbers of fleets adopting electric vans for longer daily routes was highly encouraging.

Peters commented: “The results clearly show that, across small, medium and large electric vans, many fleets are either operating or planning to operate vehicles on daily routes of more than 100 miles. Overall, this indicates that while they are closely managing their BEVs in terms of practical limitations, the majority aren’t limiting them to local routes only. These electric vans are being adopted to cover 25,000 miles a year or more.

“As fleets become more familiar with electric vans, it’ll be very interesting to see how this situation develops. They will become increasingly familiar with their operational strengths and learn to use them in an optimal manner. Also, of course, we expect new designs to appear relatively quickly, with each generation incrementally reducing current limitations.”

The 2024 Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer, which gathered these insights, polled 8,605 businesses across 30 countries about their vehicle operations.

Arval UK, a key player in full-service vehicle leasing and mobility solutions, is part of the BNP Paribas Group. As of December 2023, Arval funded approximately 192,000 cars and vans in the UK.