As part of its ongoing mission to help businesses move to electric, Europcar Vans & Trucks, part of Europcar Mobility Group UK, is running a demo programme for the Mercedes-Benz eVito van.
“There is a clear need for businesses to start learning about how electric vehicles will work in their operations, ahead of the Government’s net zero deadline”, explained Keith Shorter, UK Van & Trucks Director. “However, for many there is a nervousness about making a long-term commitment without fully understanding the implications for their drivers and their business.
Our new demo programme is therefore designed to give businesses and their drivers the ability to experience everything about zero-emission driving, but without having to make a big financial commitment.”
The all-electric eVito van has a range of approximately 160 miles with the capacity to deal with the demands of most day-to-day business, carrying a maximum payload of 807kg and a loading space of up to 6.0m3. It is ideal for enterprises that need hard-working commercial vehicles and is a great introduction to zero-driving.
The Europcar demo programme offers the use of an eVito van for a few days or weeks, enabling businesses to evaluate how and where an all-electric van can be best used within their fleet operations, without having to commit to a major capital expense. Importantly it gives them the chance to test an electric van in real-world conditions to discover where it will fit best and what possible adaptations may need to be made to their current ways of working.
“The move to zero-emission LCVs is likely to have profound implications on how businesses operate day-to-day”, added Keith Shorter.
“There is a big difference between those companies who are doing lots of short runs, such as courier and local delivery companies and those who are transporting goods and people on longer motorway journeys, for example. How electric vans can be utilised in either scenario needs to be considered along with availability of charging points and the time it takes to recharge a vehicle. And we believe our demo programme will give businesses that ‘real-life’ experience to plan effectively for the future.”
