Business users of commercial and light commercial vans contribute a lot of CO2 into our atmosphere
, food delivery, grocery delivery, builders and plumbers all use diesel vans to go about their daily business and their van is critical to them.
In the early 2000s we saw quite a few manufacturers introduce LPG fuelled vans, especially Vauxhall. These do not produce as much CO2 as normal diesel vans and LPG costs more than 50% less than diesel. The aim was to always introduce electric vans, it is the only way to produce minimal if not zero emissions.
Battery powered vans would also reduce overheads for businesses dramatically, charging an electric van to full charge will only cost a couple of pounds which will be able to power the van around 50 miles, which is a big saving.
Mercedes has emerged as the first mainstream manufacturer to introduce an all electric van; the Vito E-Cell is due to go on sale in the UK half way through 2011. The electric van is already being produced by the German manufacturer and the first 100 will be leased out to companies in Berlin and Stuttgart.
In order to accommodate the batteries the Electric Vito is front wheel drive compared to the traditional rear wheel drive. The Vito E-Cell can comfortably do 50mph, making it ideal for city and urban users. Acceleration in the electric Vito is the same as in the diesel version, so initial get off is not affected.
Being a Mercedes the Vito E-Cell consists of top quality material both inside and out and is built to the highest standards. By the end of 2011 we hope the electric Mercedes Vito is amongst the normal vans for sale in Kent.