Electric Vans Eligible For Plug-In Grants Confirmed

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The Department of Transport has published a list of the first electric vans to be approved for the plug-in grant scheme for electric vehicles, which was extended to include vans in January.

Buyers of qualifying vans will be able to receive up to 20% – or a maximum of £8,000 – off the purchase price of a new electric van.

The first seven vans to be made eligible for the grants are;

  • Azure Dynamics – Transit Connect Electric
  • Mercedes-Benz – Vito E-Cell
  • Renault – Kangoo ZE variants Kangoo VAN ZE, Kangoo Van Maxi ZE, and Kangoo Van Maxi Crew ZE
  • Smith Electric – Smith Edison variants SE2 and SE3 (Ford Transit-based van)
  • Faam – ECOMILE (available March 2012)
  • Faam – Jolly 200 (available March 2012)
  • Mia-Electric – Mia U (available May 2012)

Vans used in towns often have predictable, low-mileage routes and return to a fixed base every night – ideal operating conditions for an electric van.

Businesses that run electric vans can benefit from reduced refuelling costs, are exempt from the van benefit charge, attract capital allowance concessions, and also receive a 100% discount for the congestion charge in the London. British Gas looks set to become one of the first large UK businesses to adopt electric vans in scale; Gearoid Lane, Managing Director of British Gas New Markets said:

“Extending electric car grants to cover fleet vehicles is a positive step in lowering emissions on our roads. With our network of engineers repairing boilers around the country we are keen to include electric vans in our own fleet, with 100s scheduled to be introduced over the next few years. We are also at the forefront of helping people with their own electric cars by installing charge points in homes up and down Britain.”

You can find full details of the plug-in grant scheme here: www.dft.gov.uk/topics/sustainable/olev/plug-in-car-grant/

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has also published a guide to electric vehicles, which can be downloaded free here.

Are you considering an electric van for your business? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Nissan Launches NV400 Lorry Ad Campaign

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Nissan NV400 lorry wrap advertising campaignNissan had a very successful 2011, which included the launch of a replacement model for Interstar, the NV400. It has now launched a new advertising campaign to promote the NV400 by vinyl-wrapping fifteen HGV trailers with promotional images of the NV400.

The trailers collectively cover 150,000 miles a month, which Nissan reckons will expose them to around 18 million pairs of eyeballs.

Big Ad, Big Van

Like the Interstar, the NV400 is based on the Renault Master – in this case, the latest Renault Master, which was launched in 2010.

The NV400 is a genuinely big van and comes in a choice of four load lengths and three load heights, with load volumes of between eight and 17 cubic metres and a choice of four gross vehicle weights ranging from 2.8 tonnes to  4.5 tonnes.

It is available in both front and rear wheel drive and can be specified with 100PS, 125PS or 150PS diesel engines driving through a six speed manual or automatic transmission.

To find out more, visit www.nissan.co.uk.

Automatic Van Hire: New Fiat Ducato Offers More Auto Models

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Fiat Ducato Comfort-Matic automatic gear shift

Gear stick in a Fiat Ducato with Comfort-Matic automatic transmission

Fiat has confirmed that buyers of its Ducato panel van will now be able to specify Fiat’s Comfort-Matic automatic gearbox with the van’s standard 2.3l diesel engine.

Until now, the Comfort-Matic gearbox has only been available with the 3l engine – an engine chosen by a small minority of buyers only and mostly used in the high-end motorhome market.

In keeping with the current trend, Fiat’s Comfort-Matic Manual Automated Transmission system is a traditional manual transmission except there is no clutch pedal.

Instead, the clutch is operated automatically by a computer, which decides when to change gear and operates the clutch automatically. The shift is either performed automatically or the driver can use the gear lever to prompt changes by pulling backwards or pushing forwards. The Comfort-Matic system also offers all of the other features commonly associated with automatic transmissions:

  • Uphill-Downhill Mode: gearshift logic managed by software to ensure the best ratio depending on road gradient;
  • Warm Up Mode: emission reduction strategy during cold starts;
  • Brake Assistance Mode: ratio reduction to support vehicle deceleration;
  • Kick Down Mode: reduction in the ratio following abrupt action on the accelerator pedal (for example, during overtaking);
  • Fast Off Detection: gearshift inhibition if the accelerator is released quickly.

The gearbox also has an additional feature aimed at heavily laden motorhomes and vans – the UP button. This “automatically optimises the gear shift points to ensure the most appropriate engine rpm in any condition and improve performance in particularly harsh conditions or on steep slopes.”

Fiat seems to expect that many (most?) sales of the Comfort-Matic will be to the motorhome market. It says that motorhome prototypes were used for tuning and testing stage, with faithful reproduction of the configurations of front surfaces, gross vehicle weight and the typical motorhome usage conditions.

Strong Demand For Automatic Van Hire

Judging from the enquiries we receive here at vanrental.co.uk, demand for automatic van hire is much greater than supply.

The problem is that although automatic gearboxes are good technology and offer a number of advantages, they cost more and in most cases are not available on all models – as with Fiat, until now.

Fiat’s decision to offer the Comfort-Matic with all engine options may have been prompted by its dominance of the motorhome market, where automatics are very popular, but hopefully it also signifies a gradual move into the mainstream for automatic vans.

In turn, this should lead to automatic transmission being offered at a lower cost and taken up more widely by hire fleets.

Hourly Van Hire: Zipvan Is Cheap For Hours, Expensive For Days

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Back in 2008, I wrote about the London launch of the Streetcar hourly car and van hire service.

Fast forward to today and things have changed slightly. Not only do both Hertz and Europcar now offer competing hourly van hire services in many locations across the UK, but Streetcar has merged with Zipcar in the UK.

Zipcar’s van hire service (named Zipvan!) remains true to the original concept of 24/7, on-demand short-term hire and offers Volkswagen Transporters in a number of key UK cities:

The service is designed to encourage hourly hire, rather than multi-day hire – and rental rates reflect this. Hourly hire starts from a reasonable £9 per hour but Zipcar’s daily van hire rates start from £84 per day, which is very expensive for a medium van.

Using our van hire price comparison system, I was able to find equivalent daily rates for a medium van in central London from just £31.98!

Europcar Launches iPhone App

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Europcar logoEuropcar has launched a free iPhone app to enable customers to arrange vehicle hire from their iPhones.

The app enables iPhone users to reserve vehicles or search for details on any of Europcar’s 5,300 stations across 150 countries worldwide, including the UK. I’m not sure whether it works for vans as well as cars or not, yet. (I’m checking this with Europcar and will update this post when I get an answer). 

Update: The app is currently for cars only, but van booking will be added at some point in the future – watch this space.

Once booked, vehicle hire is confirmed immediately over the phone, via sms or email. The service is available in seven languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

You can download the Europcar iPhone app free here: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/europcar/id377889715?mt=8

Nissan LCV Sales Up 174% In 2011

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Nissan NV200

Nissan NV200

Nissan’s vans were flying off the shelves in 2011…

As I wrote recently, 2011 was a strong year for van sales – but for Nissan more than most.

The Japanese manufacturer recorded an impressive 174% rise in LCV sales in the UK in 2011, selling 10,854 commercial vehicles and increasing its market share from 2.8% to 4.2%.

If you are thinking that these figures might be skewed by the inclusion of the Navara 4×4 pickup – they aren’t. Although the Navara recorded a 187% increase in sales, the thoroughly van-like Primastar recorded a 201% increase and Nissan’s new smaller van, the NV200, saw sales rise by 191%.

Nissan’s performance was strongest in the retail section, which includes small businesses. The Primarstar, which is a rebadged, Luton-built Vauxhall Vivaro/Renault Trafic guise – is a firm favourite with tradesmen and other small businesses and remains a class act despite its increasing age.

Commenting on Nissan’s prospects for 2012, Francis Bleasdale, Nissan Motor GB’s LCV sales and marketing director said:

“There are signs that fleets in particular are starting to replace their LCVs after extending replacement cycles during 2009 and 2010 which should help fuel sales. And our dealer network is also reporting a strong demand for used Nissan LCVs.”

Bleasdale also commented that Nissan’s new Renault Master-based NV400 was only launched at the end of 2011, saying that he expected “the full impact of this exciting addition to the range will be more evident during 2012.”

None of Nissan’s commercial vehicle range is built at its Sunderland plant, but several models are built in Europe and four out of five of Nissan’s commercial vehicle models are new or have been updated for 2012 – only the Primastar remains largely unchanged from previous years.

Nissan has started 2012 extremely well with 722 sales in January, equivalent to a 5.0 per cent market share, up from its 697 sales and 4.1 per cent market share in January 2011 – a contrast to the general downward trend seen this January.

Citroën Updates Trafficmaster Navigation & Telematics For All LCVs

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Citroën has updated the navigation and telematics system which is fitted as standard to all new Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay vans.

Citroen Relay 35 Euro 5 model

Citroën Relay van

Following news of Citroën’s updated 2012 van range, the company has announced improvements to the Trafficmaster Smartnav and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking package which is now fitted as standard to all Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay vans.

Enhanced Navigation

The navigation system has been improved with a new, larger 5-inch colour screen and the choice of 2D or 3D mapping throughout the UK and Europe (although European routing costs extra).

Other features include:

– A choice of mapping colours.
– Visuals of the route overlaid on the map, as well as next direction and distance displays.
– Auto-zoom function, plus additional pan and zoom facility.

The service also comes with three years’ worth of subscriptions to the data services necessary to use the Trafficmaster system:

– 3 years of dynamic navigation.
– 3 years of stolen vehicle tracking.
– 3 years of automatically downloaded traffic information for congestion avoidance.
– 3 months of ‘Safe Speed’ safety camera alerts.
– 10 free calls to Trafficmaster’s Personal Assistance service.

Messaging Service

When used in conjunction with Trafficmaster’s optional fleet management tool, Fleet Director, the colour screen allows two-way messaging, providing the fleet operator with clear and safe communication to all vehicles on the fleet.

This subscription service is unlikely to be of interest to van hire companies but will certainly become more widespread amongst van operators – as it already is in large corporate fleets.

Emergency Assistance – SOS

Citroën has also taken this opportunity to introduce an integrated Emergency Assistance service. By pressing the SOS icon on the screen, driver’s can summon either breakdown or emergency assistance, depending on whether they choose the B-Call or E-call option.

All B-Calls go directly to The AA to ensure the fastest possible response. Other emergencies, such as accidents or driver medical problems, are handed directly by Trafficmaster via the E-Call facility. Trafficmaster then liaise with the emergency services. When the driver uses the E-Call function, the driver’s details and GPS location are transmitted simultaneously to Trafficmaster. This feature is soon to be replicated for the B-Call function to The AA.

What I didn’t realise is that European legislation will require all new vehicles to have this kind of functionality by 2015 – perhaps marking the beginning of the end of emergency telephone boxes on motorways.

Our children are going to grow up wondering how anyone ever used to survive before mobile phones…

Thrifty Car & Van Rental Is Rental Supplier Of The Year

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Thrifty Car & Van Rental has been chosen as Rental Supplier of the Year at the Leaseplan Supplier Conference 2012. Thrifty was also given the award for Overall Supplier of the Year 2012.

Thrifty was Leaseplan’s largest rental supplier in 2011, supplying three times as many cars and vans as in 2010.

Commenting on the award, Caroline Gallagher, Director of Corporate Sales at Thrifty said:

“At Thrifty we pride ourselves on providing an exceptional level of customer service coupled with a flexible offering and we are delighted to have had our efforts recognised in such a prestigious manner.”

You can find all of Thrifty’s UK van hire branches on vanrental.co.uk, including branches in London, Birmingham, Manchester and other major UK cities.

Govt Biofuel Targets Could Cost Motorists £2bn per Year

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The biofuels farce rumbles on…

Government targets to increase the proportion of biofuel in standard petrol and diesel to 10% by 2020 could cost drivers an extra £2bn per year, according to new research commissioned by Friends of the Earth and Action Aid UK.

The report found that by 2020, the cost of bioethanol (added to petrol) will be 16-35 pence more expensive than petrol per litre; similarly, biodiesel will be 29-42 pence more expensive than a litre of diesel.

This means that the cost of fuel could rise by the equivalent of one litre per tank by 2020 – in addition to ‘normal’ increases caused by increases in fuel duty and oil prices. These costs are likely to be passed on directly to you and I.

In the UK, biofuels currently account for 4% of transport fuels and this requirement is set to rise to 5% in 2013. The government has said that it will consult on whether to aim for the full EU target of 10% by 2020. Given the non-existent benefits so far demonstrated by compulsory biofuel targets, we can only hope that they decide to treat the 10% target with the indifference it deserves.

As I’ve reported many times before, EU and UK government targets on the compulsory use of biofuels in road fuels make no sense at all, costing more and increasing CO2 emissions while causing food price inflation in developing countries.

Citroën Launches New Dispatch Crew Van

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Citroen Dispatch Crew Van 2012MY

The new Euro 5 2012 Citroen Dispatch Crew Van

Citroën has launched a new crew cab version of its Dispatch van to add to its refreshed 2012 van range. The new model boasts six crash-tested seats, a 125bhp Euro 5 engine with a 6-speed gearbox and – importantly – a 1,067kg payload.

This last point is important as Scott Michael, Citroën’s Commercial Vehicle Operations Manager explains:

“Duty of care considerations and rising fuel prices are among the key reasons why businesses are increasingly specifying crew vans. With its combination of 1,067kg payload, 6 seats and a large load compartment, the Dispatch Crew Van meets most operator needs in this growing LCV market sector.  Most importantly, as the Dispatch Crew Van has a payload of over 1,000kg, it is possible for VAT-registered business customers to reclaim the VAT paid on the vehicle.”

The new model is officially designated as the Euro 5 Dispatch HDi 125 6-speed manual L2H1 1200 Crew Van and costs £21,120. The newly launched Euro 5 HDi 125 engine provides the Dispatch Crew Van with a combined fuel economy figure of 41.5mpg (6.8l/100km) and CO2 emissions of 179g/km.

Seating arrangements in Citroen Dispatch Crew VanThe Dispatch Crew Van’s seating is configured in two rows of three, with the second row of seats incorporating an integral bulkhead which has been tested to ISO 27956 for load shifting protection.

The 3 person second row bench is designed and tested to comply with EU Whole Vehicle Approval safety standards also includes adjustable headrests and three-point inertia reel seat belts.

The load area has a length of 1.7m, although a recess under the second row of seats allows objects up to 2.11m long to be carried. Payload is 1,067kg and the van’s GVW is 2,880kg. The Dispatch Crew Van is well specified and includes Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation, Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking, electric front windows, remote central locking, trip computer, RDS radio and CD player.

It’s a pity that Citroën has not seen fit to specify either air-conditioning or opening rear windows are standard; both are extra options that would be very handy when transporting six sweaty blokes on a hot summer’s day…