UK electric van sales increase by 78% after driving licence rule change

 UK electric van sales grew by 78% in April this year, according to recent findings by comparison and switching service, Uswitch.

Uswitch’s numbers show that 1,686 electric vans were sold. These UK electric van sales figures also mean that EVs now comprise 8% of the UK van market, a 50% year-on-year increase. Uswitch believes that the upswing can be largely attributed to the UK government’s change to driving licences regulations.

Motorists with a standard Category B licence can now drive zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) weighing up to 4,250 kilogrammes without any extra training or a specialist licence. Previously, the weight limit was 3.5 tonnes.

The change was implemented to accomodate the additional weight of EV batteries and tech without penalising drivers or businesses making the transition to greener, all-ZEV fleets.

Regarding the 78% increase in sales, Ben Gallizzi, Uswitch energy expert commented: “This legislation is a positive step in removing barriers to entry to EV adoption, especially for sole traders, delivery workers, and fleet operators.”

Despite the positive figures, fleets cite a lack of public charging infrastructure as the third biggest issue they face in relation to electric van adoption. Moreover, 90% of van fleets require residential charging to make the switch to EVs.

There are over 82,000 public charging stations across the UK, with 8,670 installed during this first six months of this year; a year-on-year increase of 27%. Moreover, Vauxhall, who offers all-electric versions of its Combo Cargo, Vivaro, and Movano vans, has introduced its Electric Streets of Britain initiative.

Electric Streets of Britain aims to support the 40% of UK households without private parking to make the EV transition, by lobbying local councils to install nearby on-street charging facilities.

Should all-electric van drivers decide to move across to all-electric motoring, energy suppliers offer home charging rates for as little as 6.7p per-kilowatt hour during off-peak hours.