Merseytravel Nissan e-NV200 Combi

Merseytravel goes underground with electric power

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It’s hard to imagine a more suitable place to use an emission-free electric van than in a busy tunnel.

So it makes perfect sense that Merseytravel, which operates the Kingsway and Queensway tunnels under the river Mersey, has started to make the switch to electric power.

Merseytravel Nissan e-NV200 Combi

One of Merseytravel’s e-NV200’s in action in Liverpool’s Kingsway Tunnel

In addition to the two tunnels, which handle 90,000 vehicles a day, Merseytravel operates seven tunnel ventilation stations, three ferry terminals and various bus stations. The firm bought its first electric vehicle, a Nissan LEAF, last year and has recently added three Nissan e-NV200 Combis to its 40-strong maintenance fleet.

The electric Combi vans will be used to transport work crews and their tools around the Merseytravel estate. The company is also backing the wider adoption of electric power in Liverpool by operating the government-funded Recharge initiative. This aims to provide a network of charging points at key locations throughout Liverpool City and West Cheshire.

So far, 30 chargers have been installed at locations including ​Seacombe  Ferry Terminal, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Broad Green Hospital, and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

For further information on the Recharge network and electric vehicles – www.merseytravel.gov.uk/recharge

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Book ahead and save 20% on Hertz Van Rental [EXPIRED]

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Hertz logo largeIf you are planning to hire a van for collection between Christmas Eve and 31 January 2016, you could save up to 20% by booking ahead.

Hertz Van Rental is offering a discount of 20% on van hire with pick-up dates between 24 December 2015 and 31 January 2016. The catch is that you must book by 31 December 2015.

**THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED**

Here are the details:

  • Valid from: 23 November 2015
  • Expires: 31 December 2015
  • Pick up period: 24 December 2015  to 31 January 2016
  • >> Discount code: 778641

 

Terms and conditions:

  • Minimum rental of 3 days
  • Maximum rental of 14 days
  • Valid on van groups B4, C4, D4 and G4
  • Valid for customers booking in the UK
  • Valid for van rental pickups and returns in the UK
  • Offer subject to availability at participating locations
Europcar van hire

Europcar winter van hire from £14 per day [EXPIRED]

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europcar_logo_new-2013** THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED **

Book Europcar van hire from just £14 per day in the Europcar winter van hire sale.

>>> For an immediate quote, click here.

If you’re having a winter clear out, moving house or planning a big DIY project, this is the ideal opportunity.

Here are the details of the offer:

  • Valid for bookings made by 13 December and check out dates until 13 December
  • Participating branches only

Terms and conditions may apply — see Europcar website for details.

Vauxhall Movano welfare van conversion

What’s in a welfare van conversion?

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Welfare vans are becoming increasingly popular — if not a standard requirement — for companies whose workforce has to be mobile and spend time working on sites without rest facilities.

Vauxhall Movano welfare van conversion

An EU type approved Vauxhall Movano welfare van conversion by Clarks Vehicle Conversions of Doncaster.

But what’s in a welfare van conversion? There’s no fixed standard but there are some common themes:

  • Seating and a table
  • Kitchenette, usually with sink, water heater for hot drinks and perhaps a microwave
  • Toilet/handwash area
  • Heating

Vans with bunks are also seen sometimes, but these are usually for more specialist jobs where the crew may be required to spend extended periods or overnight away from base. To give you an idea of what’s involved, here are some photos taken from a Vauxhall Movano-based van recently converted by Clarks Vehicle Conversions of Doncaster.

Welfare van travel-safe seating with table

Travel seating with removable table for use during rest periods.

Welfare van toilet compartment

A toilet compartment with a cassette toilet, as used in motorhomes and caravans.

Welfare van handwash area

Handwash area with hot water, soap and basin.

Vauxhall welfare van kitchen area

The kitchen area, complete with hot water boiler for tea, running water and microwave.

This van also has a heating system, probably a diesel-fuelled heater as used in trucks with sleeper cabs. In this case the heater is controlled from the black panel below the sink.

The van’s electrical system will have been modified to power all of these accessories. This might have been done with a bank of secondary batteries or perhaps with a generator or electric hookup option with which the van can be plugged into the mains. Possibly a combination — I’d expect a second battery in any case, to prevent any risk of the engine battery being flattened.

Inside, the interior of the van is fully lined in a light grey phenol-laminated ply to provide a durable quality finish. A number of tailored options are also available to provide additional storage, such as racking, shelving, lining kits and ladder racks.

The complete conversion has gained EU type approval so Vauxhall and Clarks are able to sell the Movano welfare conversion as a new vehicle without seeking further approvals.

Tim Bailey's Skin Shack mobile tattoo studio

Mobile tattoo studio is inked into Sprinter van

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I wonder what happened to The Barbus, a mobile barber service we featured on these pages back in 2008?

The standard of the fit and finish inside the firm’s VW Crafter looked pretty good, but I’m not sure it’s as impressive as the mobile tattoo studio of Hinckley-based tattoo artist Tim Bailey.

Tim Bailey's Skin Shack mobile tattoo studio

As a former truck and van driver, Tim knows his vans and did not hesitate to choose a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter as his base vehicle — albeit a 250,000 miler purchased second-hand from a local haulier. He’s not concerned about the van’s age and mileage and says that “it’s proved every bit as reliable as I knew it would and still drives more smoothly than many of the cars I’ve owned”. Praise indeed for a 13-year old van!

In order to set up his mobile tattoo business, The Skin Shack, Tim spent around 70 hours converting the back of the Sprinter into a fully-equipped tattoo studio that would be fully compliant with health and safety standards and could be registered with the local environmental health department.

The results is a fully-lined load area with hygienic and easily cleaned plastic panelling, fitted cupboards and work tops, and a sink with hot and cold running water, as well as lighting and electrical services.

Inside the Skin Shack mobile tattoo studio

As word gets around and more people see his artwork, Tim’s mobile ‘inking shop’ is now really taking off.

“I’m trying to stay within a 20-mile radius of base but it’s proving difficult as I’m constantly getting new enquiries from further afield,” he said.

“Prospective customers can be a bit nervous about being tattooed in the back of a van but once they see inside they’re invariably reassured. I like to think of the finish as being on a par with an A&E ambulance.”

Tim’s favourite works are black and white gothic-style designs, although he is happy to fulfil any customer request, either creating a new image from scratch or replicating an existing one. A full back piece takes 30-35 hours of inking split into sessions of six or seven hours, but most commissions are on a much smaller scale.

SMMT CV output 2008-October 2015

CV manufacturing output up 10% in October as European demand surges

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After September’s remarkable 100% rise in UK van and truck manufacturing output, October’s figures were bound to be a little more modest.

In truth, the 100% rise this September was the result of new production being phased in from last October at Vauxhall’s Luton plant, where production of the outgoing Vivaro model ended in August 2014 and was subsequently replaced by the new Vivaro.

In 2013, Vauxall built 44,000 Vivaro vans. If you compare that number to the figures in the table below, it’s clear that the Vivaro is a dominant factor in UK CV sales.

Notwithstanding this, the latest numbers from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggest that momentum remains strong:

CV manufacturing Oct-14 Oct-15 % Change YTD-14 YTD-15 % Change
Total 7,235 7,995 10.5% 57,981 79,401 36.9%
Home 4,372 4,214 -3.6% 28,846 40,610 40.8%
Export 2,863 3,781 32.1% 29,135 38,791 33.1%
% export 39.6% 47.3% 50.2% 48.9%

Data courtesy of SMMT (www.smmt.co.uk)

Interstingly, home demand fell slightly last month. This may be linked to the fall in truck registrations reported last month and the more modest rate of van registrations. Sales growth has to slow at some point.

These figures are still good news for the UK economy as they show another rise in export demand, most of which goes to the EU. That suggests a double does of good news, in my view. Not only are UK companies exporting more, but a Europe-wide economic recovery could finally be picking up pace.

CV exports to Europe are now up by 33% so far this year, with domestic demand up 40% despite this month’s fall. Here’s how these figures look on a longer timescale:

SMMT CV output 2008-October 2015

Rolling year CV output 2008-2015 (courtesy of SMMT)

In total, nearly 8,000 vans, trucks and buses were built in the UK last month. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, was keen to emphasise the benefits of the strong contribution being made by the European market:

“It’s great to see UK commercial vehicle manufacturing continuing its resurgence in the third quarter of 2015, with year-to-date figures still demonstrating impressive double-digit growth. Particularly encouraging is the growing demand for exports, fuelled by the recovery of the sector’s largest market, Europe.”

I don’t expect December to be a blockbuster month, but hopefully I’ll be wrong. More next month.

New Iveco Daily will launch June 2014

Iveco unveils New Daily Electric van

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New Iveco Daily will launch June 2014

The standard version of the new Daily.

Weighing in at up to 5.6 tonnes and with a load space of up to 19.6 cubic metres, the new Iveco Daily Electric is probably the biggest electric van on the market.

The improved Daily Electric, which is based on last year’s New Daily model, offers up to 20% longer battery life than the outgoing model. That translates to range of up to 280km, using a three battery configuration.

Drivers can choose between Eco and Power modes, depending on whether they want to limit torque in order to maximise battery life or not. As you’d expect, the Daily Electric also uses regenerative braking in order to eke out battery charge a little longer.

The vehicle is naturally almost silent in operation, making it ideal for urban use and night time deliveries. Iveco does fit a pedestrian acoustic alert system, however, which comes into play automatically at speeds of less than 30km/h.

Inside, the New Daily Electric is equipped with a 7’’ detachable tablet and an electronic dashboard for vehicle data management, while best-in-class navigation technology comes courtesy of TomTom® Bridge for Iveco.

This system for Iveco New Daily Electric is the unique result of TomTom® and Iveco teaming up to offer professional drivers a tailor-made navigation solution. A semi-integrated dashboard dock delivers the comfort of a built-in system and the flexibility of a detachable device.

Hertz Van Rental

Hertz Van Rental discount code roundup [EXPIRED]

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** All of these offers have now expired — check back soon for more. **

This week we have not one but two Hertz Van Rental discount codes for vanrental.co.uk visitors. Depending on your requirements, you could save as much as 15%!

The original offers in this post have now expired, but there is another offer from Hertz that could save you up to 8% at selected locations:

Save up to 8% on Hertz Van Rental

Save up to 8% on Hertz Van Rental in Basingstoke, Dartford, West Thurrock, Leeds, Glasgow and Newcastle until 30 November 2015.

  • Valid from: 12 October 2015
  • Expires: 30 November 2015
  • Discount code: 780855
  • Valid for hire periods of 3-14 days only for pick-up periods before 31 December 2015.
  • Selected vehicle groups only.

**The offers below have now expired**

1. EXCLUSIVE 10% discount code

For this week only, we have an exclusive Hertz discount code which enables you to save up to 10% on Hertz Van Rental at all UK locations.

Here are the details:

  • Valid from: 16 November 2015 until 22 November 2015
  • Pick-up period: 16 November 2015 until 13 December 2015
  • >>DISCOUNT CODE: 778647

2. SAVE up to 15% on weekly van hire

If you need a van for five days or more then the we can do even better.

Hertz is currently offering up to 15% off weekly van hire (5 days or more).

 

All offers are subject to availablility. Terms and conditions apply. See Hertz website for details.

Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport

Prices released for new Vito Sport

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The new Mercedes-Benz Vito is now available in Vito Sport specification in the UK.

Priced from £25,495 +VAT for the Vito Sport 116 BlueTEC Compact van, the Vito Sport is available both in a panel van and crew van option, which offers an extra row of seats.

Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport

Prices for the new Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport start from £25,495 +VAT

The 116 BlueTEC and 119 BlueTEC engines are both available for Vito Sport, which meet the stringent Euro 6 emission regulations, along with a choice of Compact and Long body lengths. The excellent standard specification of the New Vito is enhanced by a combination of functional and styling features, which set the Vito Sport apart from the norm.

Exterior visual styling elements include chrome sidebars and front grille trim, unique rear model badging, front fog lamps with chrome trim, rear tailgate chrome trim, colour-coded bumpers and five-spoke alloy wheels.

Inside the Vito Sport, drivers get air-conditioning, comfort driver and single passenger seats, ‘Sport’ branded floor mats, Audio 15 infotainment system with colour screen, and tinted glass.

As standard, all Vito Sport models are pre-wired for the optional plug-in Becker MapPilot navigation system – a cost-effective way of bringing fully-integrated navigation features through the standard Auto 15 headunit and visual display.

The Vito Sport has become a popular part of the Vito line-up since its introduction in 2009, as has its high performance sibling, the Sport-X. A new Vito Sport-X model is under development and is expected to be available from Q1 2016.

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EXCLUSIVE: SAVE 10% On Hertz Van Rental [EXPIRED]

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**THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED**

We have a 10% discount code for Hertz Van Rental at all UK locations.

This discount code is exclusive to vanrental.co.uk.

To save, you need to book this week, but this discount code is valid for pick-up dates until the 13 December 2015, so you can book ahead and SAVE.

Here are the details:

  • Offer:  EXCLUSIVE: Get 10% Off Hertz Van Rental
  • Starts: 16th November 2015
  • Ends: 22nd November 2015
  • DISCOUNT CODE:   778647
  • Terms and conditions: Pick-up period 16th November to 13th December

 

Terms and conditions may apply. See Hertz website for details.