ROAD TO ZERO


Vivaro-e in strong demand


Vauxhall continues to win deals with its all-electric Vivaro-e. Facilities man- agement company Mitie has ordered 655 of the vans, while organic fruit and vegetable supplier Riverford has tak- en 10 of the battery-electric models. The fi rst Vivaro-e delivered to Mitie takes the company’s fl eet of EVs over 1,000 vehicles, as it pushes to adopt EV technology across the company. Mitie has ordered the Luton-built vans in a mix of L1 and L2 models, all powered by the larger 75kWh battery, deliver- ing a range of up to 205 miles. The vans will be used by the company’s frontline engineers and they have been special- ly kitted out with all of the necessary equipment, while keeping weight low to boost driving range.


“When we began our EV journey 18 months ago, we thought switching our big vans would be one of our big- gest challenges,” said Mitie’s director


RWD eSprinter will boost range and payload


Mercedes-Benz Vans has confi rmed that it will build rear-wheel drive eS- printer vans and chassis, with produc- tion starting in the second half of 2023. The vans, which will be built in Ger- many and in North America, will use a new drive motor that is built into the rear axle, making it easier for body- builders to work with a fl at chassis. Offered in two wheelbases, there


will be a choice of three battery capac- ities, all of which will sit within the chassis. The next eSprinter will of- fer far higher payloads, as the rear- wheel drive chassis will be able to op- erate at 4.25-tonnes, well above the current front-driven van’s 3.5-tonne limit. Mercedes is also promising at least double the current driving range. The company will continue to use front-wheel drive for the eVito, though the van may get a version of the larger battery used in the eVito Tourer peo- ple-carrier, which offers a much-im- proved driving range.


16 VANUSER •MAY 2021 EAV works with Ford Spin


Oxfordshire fi rm Electric Assisted Vehi- cles (EAV) has launched the EAV2Charge, a lightweight commercial vehicle based on its EAV2Cubed model. The company, which al- ready supplies DPD, Asda and Ocado, has worked with Ford’s Spin e-scooter division, to develop an urban collection and distribution vehicle for Spin’s e-scooter trials across the UK. The fi rst vehicles are due to be delivered to


Spin’s site in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, where Spin will be trialing the use of e-scooters this


summer. The EAV2Charge vehicles will be used to collect e-scooters and redistribute to popular rental locations, repair and possibly recharge the scooters in transit. “We need vehicles for our business that move


us towards becoming a carbon negative com- pany by 2025,” said Spin’s UK country manag- er, Steve Pyer. “But we also need them to carry spare batteries, tools, replacement parts and have space to move e-scooters around to meet changing demand.”


of sustainability and social value, Si- mon King. “With Vauxhall helping us over-


come this hurdle, we’re very pleased to be marking our milestone 1,000th zero emission vehicle. With over 600 more to join our fl eet this year, we’re making great progress towards our tar- get of 2,021 EVs in 2021.” Riverford’s ambitions may be on a slightly smaller scale, but they are no


vehicles are an absolute


no-brainer for all delivery businesses


“ Electric


less ambitious. The Devon-based com- pany aims to turn its entire fl eet to EVs by 2025. The fi rm will base the 10 Vi- varo-e vans at its fi rst all-electric hub in Bristol.


“Electric vehicles are an absolute no-brainer for all delivery businesses, especially Riverford, where we pride ourselves on being environmental- ly conscious,” said Jason Holt, River- ford’s head of logistics.


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