The government has announced a £20m program to develop and provide electric and low-carbon vans to public sector organisations such as the Royal Mail and the Metropolitan police. Ten companies have been shortlisted to develop a suitable mass-market low-carbon van for the program.

This money is part of a £100m program to develop the infrastructure and technology needed to make widespread use of electric and hybrid vehicles a reality.

Transport secretary Geoff Hoon told the Guardian that the program was a response to the knowledge that “Van emissions are rising more than any other mode of road transport”. The government are hoping that this program will help “kick-start the market [for low-carbon vans]” as there is not currently a suitable model available.

With range and recharging facilities still an issue for all-electric vehicles, my reading of this initiative is that the main goal is self-sufficient, low-emission hybrid vehicles – perhaps along the same lines as the Chevrolet Volt, which has an all-electric powertrain but carries a small petrol engine on board to charge its batteries when needed.

To learn more, see this article in the Guardian and this article on the Fleet News website.