Is it time to start an electric vehicle fleet?
The European Commission and European cities are rolling out urban planning initiatives to “drive” down levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and increase the number of low emission zones (LEZ) in major towns. In parallel, European governments are creating financial incentives for freight transport companies to gradually switch over to electric fleets, particularly for last mile delivery. When will your fleet bring on board some electric vehicles?
EU initiatives
FREVUE is one of the flagship EU campaigns to boost the introduction of electric freight vehicles to demonstrate and evaluate innovative urban logistics solutions in some of Europe’s largest cities including Amsterdam, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Rotterdam and Stockholm. The Holy Grail for Frevue is to achieve “essentially CO2 free city logistics in major urban centers by 2030” through electric vehicles (EVs).
European cities have created also about 200 low emission zones. London has had them since 2008. However, as a Transport & Environment analysis noted in FleetEurope the standards vary dramatically in cities across Europe from an Ultra LEZ planned for London in 2019 to the non-existence of LEZs in many Eastern European cities.
The sticks for adopting electric vehicles ...
European cities have implemented their own initiatives, which often include reducing combustion-engined vehicles, tailored to their own cityscapes including:
Brussels has already adopted a law banning all combustion engine vehicles at critical levels of pollution while making alternative modes of transport free of charge. It now wants to ban all diesel vehicles from entering its city limits by 2030. By 2025, it will ban diesel vehicles below Euro 6 and may include other fossil fuel-powered vehicles. (source: Electrive)
Madrid confirmed that, as of November 2018, it will bar all non-resident vehicles from a zone that includes the entire city center. Only cars belonging to residents, zero-emissions delivery vehicles, taxis and public transit will be able to circulate in this zone. From February 2019, an automated system including cameras will monitor the situation and issue €90 fines to owners of vehicles that break these rules. (source: CityLab)
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgois campaigning for cleaner air and has discussed various measures including free public transport. Paris is banning all combustion-powered vehicles by 2030 and putting an end to diesel-engined traffic by the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (source: Electrive)
The carrots…
Fortunately, running in parallel, there are government initiatives to address congestion and environmental issues that encourage road transport companies to adopt electric vehicles for the last mile delivery./ Here are a few examples:
In June 2018, Germany’s Ministry of Transport will be unveiling a funding programme, the bmvi, to encourage the adoption of battery and fuel cell electric trucks as well as those running on alternative fuels. From July 2018, German hauliers will be able to apply for grants ranging from €12,000 to €40,000 depending on the trucks’ weight, to a maximum of €500,000 per company. The German government will also exempt electric trucks from road tolls from 2019 onwards. (source: Electrive)
In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment offers a €3,000 subsidy on the purchase of all-electric taxis or delivery vans. This subsidy increases to €5,000 per vehicle in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, and the Arnhem-Nijmegen metropolitan area. (source: Wikipedia)
The UK government started giving “Plug-in Grants” to buyers of electric vehicles in 2012. Under this scheme, buyers of low-emission vans can receive up to £8,000 in government subsidies. This scheme is likely to continue until 2020. (source: FleetNews)
Is it time to start an electric vehicle fleet?
As governments and cities work together to reduce emissions and improve congestion through reimagining city centre planning and fostering the adoption of electric vehicles, it is worth fleet managers investigating how they might benefit from national and local government subsidies to help them add electric trucks and vans to their fleets.
Experience electric delivery with TIP
TIP can provide its customers with eLCVs on a short-term rental of less than a year or on a long-term leasing basis (1 to 10 years). The long-term lease includes maintenance and repair. Customers benefit from TIP’s extensive fleet management experience, its network of workshops across Europe that can service electric vehicles; its expertise in telematics and remote access maintenance; reporting. Meanwhile, have a look at TIP France to discover their pioneering work with eLCV’s.
For more information on how you can experience electric delivery through TIP’s eLCV offer, please contact your local TIP Trailer Services manager using this form.
