Should I go electric? The pros and cons of an electric delivery fleet

The government has confirmed that new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned from 2030, with hybrids permitted to remain on sale until 2035.

With the deadline looming both UPS and DHL have made significant investments in electric vehicles. So if you’re in the business of delivery it’s certainly time to talk about what your next steps should be when it comes to driving your business forward.

We take a look at the pros and cons of turning your delivery fleet electric. We’ll provide you with the key facts to help you answer whether it’s time for your company to make the leap of faith to electric.

Protects the planet

The environment is the most obvious reason for investing in electric delivery vehicles. Freight vehicles make hundreds of thousands of journeys across London every day, and diesel still dominates the mix – one of the most polluting fuels on the planet. Electric vehicles produce no CO2 or NOx emissions meaning that driving them will improve air quality, especially in urban areas. It’s food for thought especially when you consider the UK has one of the worst pollution death rates in Europe.

Lower running costs

Electric delivery vans are much cheaper to run than their diesel counterparts. Running costs for electric vans are typically a fraction of diesel equivalents, particularly when charging overnight on an off-peak tariff. And because there are fewer moving parts in electrical vehicles there’s even less wear and tear on the brakes potentially reducing maintenance costs considerably.

Beats the charges

If you're using an electric delivery vehicle to make deliveries in London you won’t have to cough up the full £18 for the congestion charge or pay for the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). But if you stick to a fossil fuel vehicle you’ll end up paying more just to make deliveries in and around the capital. Non-compliant vans face a combined daily bill of over £30 once the Congestion Charge and ULEZ are stacked together, while older lorries can face charges well into three figures.

Government funded

The government is under massive pressure to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions which means it’s incentivising businesses to go electric or even hybrid when it comes to purchasing new commercial vehicles. Government-funded Plug-in Van Grants can currently save businesses up to £5,000 on the price of a larger electric van (up to £2,500 for smaller vans).

A silent and easy drive

Most electric vans come with automatic transmissions which means they’re a doddle to drive and don’t produce the same noise levels as combustion engines. And because they’re almost silent it means there are more opportunities to make deliveries during unsociable hours which might otherwise result in noise complaints!

Brand boosting

No one wants their brand associated with the negative press of being a polluter. If you’d like to be considered as a forward-thinking company with a conscience, then be an early adopter of cleaner, greener energy. The environment is on everyone’s mind so seize the moment and make the move before your competitors do.

Unfortunately, the decision to go electric isn’t an open-and-shut case. To give you the full picture we’ve highlighted a few disadvantages below when it comes to switching to an electric delivery fleet.

Reduced range

There’s no denying it – electric vans don’t travel as far as diesel in a single charge. With all the stops and starts needed on multi-drop deliveries, you’ll be lucky to get 150 miles at the moment. However, test drive reviews suggest there is still plenty of potential for shorter, multi-drop delivery routes using electric vans – especially when you consider the benefit of cheaper running costs.

Charging time needed

This has greatly improved in recent years but it’s still slower than filling up a tank. Ultra-rapid chargers can charge from 20% to 80% in just 30 minutes but most need to stay plugged-in for about four to six hours to reach capacity. Plus when it comes to refuelling you’ve got to find somewhere to park up and charge…

Charging points rollout still underway

There are now more public charging points than petrol stations in the UK. Partially driven by BP's purchased of electric vehicle charging point maker Chargemaster and is installing chargers across its network. There are also government grants available to install charging points at depots.

They don’t like cold weather

Electric vehicles don’t like the cold but it’s mainly down to the fact the battery is both heating the car and making it move. Combustion engines don’t like extreme weather either and some struggle to start when it reaches winter! The impact of cold weather can’t be that bad when you consider that Norway is the largest adopter of electric vehicles in Europe!

There were not enough (initially)

The uptake of electric vehicles took motor manufacturers by surprise. The Royal Mail considered replacing all its small vans with electric alternatives a few years ago but apparently couldn’t get its hands on enough. EV production has now caught up, and Royal Mail is now running a fleet of over 9,000 electric delivery vans and a support network of chargers.

The bigger problem now is lower-than-target uptake for the ZEV mandate target.

Taking all the pros and cons into consideration it looks like electric is an option for multi-drop delivery and logistics companies covering smaller urban areas. Significant developments in engineering and infrastructure are happening, but fleets or long-distance drivers are still delaying going green.

But with cheaper running costs, legislative pressure and rapidly developing technology, this might not be the case for long. At some point, all delivery and logistics companies will need to seek an alternative to the costly combustion engine. Environment and economics alone mean many companies and motor manufacturers are poised to make the move before it’s too late.

So it’s time to weigh up the facts and consider the future of your fleet but keep a keen eye on developments. Technology and discussions about the environment are evolving – before too long electric vehicles are likely to be the only acceptable form of transport available.

Want to find out how you can take your business further? Talk to us about the future of delivery and ask us for a free demo of Access Maxoptra’s multi-drop route planning software.