NEWS


'Plan needed' if government is to achieve 2030 goals


The government needs a plan for vans, if it is se- rious about achieving its economic and environ- mental goals, says the BVRLA. With the 2030 deadline for the end of sales of new petrol and diesel-engined vans looming, many small busi- nesses and van operators face mounting costs to upgrade older vehicles. The fleet rental industry has raised concerns about a lack of parity with car drivers, saying that the government must take steps to support van users.


“I am confident that the government appre-


ciates the important contribution the van mar- ket makes to society and the UK economy,” said Gerry Keaney, BVRLA chief executive. “But it has failed to understand that commer- cial vehicles are a long way behind cars and a tar-


geted plan is needed.”


The BVRLA has called upon the government to ringfence funding for the van sector and to provide new van charging grants and funding. It also wants to ensure that the supply chain ca- ters for vans and that the government drops the exclusion of rented and leased vans from the su- per deduction. Lastly, it wants there to be van specific targets and requirements for charging point provision. “Without the right fiscal support, millions of van drivers and fleet opertors could see busi- ness recovery stifled and government could see zero-emission targets not met if steps are not tak- en now to support fleets and the 3.4m people who rely on vans every day to do their job,” said Keaney.


IN BRIEF


Royal Mail adds to electric fleet


Royal Mail is to add 3,000 electric vans to its fleet, primarily for use in Clean Air Zones around the country, increasing its EV fleet ten-fold. It is installing charging points to all delivery offices that will use the vehicles. In May, the firm announced its first delivery office to feature an all-EV fleet of collection and delivery vehicles, at the Bristol East Delivery Office. Bristol was selected due to the city’s plans for a Clean Air Zone.


Ringway Jacobs adopts lone worker service


Suzuki introduces Jimny commercial


Suzuki has launched a light commercial vehi- cle version of its Jimny compact 4x4. The light- weight off-roader offers seating for two and an 863-litre load bay, with a flat floor and half mesh bulkhead. There is just one specification, which comes with air conditioning, selectable 4WD with low transfer gear, a DAB radio and cruise con- trol with speed limiter. Priced from just £16,796, the Jimny is pow- ered by a four cylinder 1.4-litre petrol engine, de-


livering 101hp and 130Nm of torque. It drives through a five-speed manual gearbox to a high/ low range transfer box. Maximum payload is just 150kg, though the van can pull a1.3-tonne trailer. However, the com- pact Suzuki’s off-road credentials will be the ma- jor appeal for buyers. Given that the LCV will only be available in very limited numbers, it is expected to sell out rapidly, so if you would like one, better get a move on.


Wing mirror replacement 'most common repair'


Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles claims that 62% of van drivers have had their wing mirrors clipped on narrow streets or while parked. Replacement wing mirrors are the single most common repair that VW technicians handle each year. “The impact of wing mirror damage on finances


and business operations shows how important it is to manually fold in wing mirrors and how cost-effective automatic folding mirrors can be to van drivers and fleet managers,” said James Allitt, head of aftersales.


6 VANUSER • JULY 2021


Highway services provider Ringway Jacobs has become the first UK fleet to adopt a video-enabled lone worker service, designed to safeguard drivers operating in the field. The firm’s health and safety and fleet departments joined forces with Peoplesafe and SureCam to roll-out an integrated safety solution, using a mobile phone app with the benefits of video telematics. The company has dual-facing, connected dash cams on 163 of its vans. Lone workers scan a QR code when entering a vehicle to register their ID. This allows the controllers at Peoplesafe’s Alarm Receiving Centre to access audio and video, along with incident data, via its portal when an incident is reported.


e-Canter on the bread round


Family-owned bakery Warburtons has added its first Fuso e-Canter to the fleet. The 7.5-tonne full electric truck uses six 13.8kWh batteries and a 129kW drive motor to deliver up to 62 miles of range on a single charge. Acquired under a five-year Mercedes-Benz Finance contract hire agreement, the truck is fitted with a PPS Commercials box body. The e-Canter sets off daily at


4am from Warburtons’ Bolton bakery, delivering bread to up to 25 customers in central Manchester.


Correction


In the specification panel for the Isuzu Grafter road test in the June issue of VanUser, it was incorrectly stated that the engine capacity was 1,498cc. That should have read 1,898cc.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32