DREAMS ELECTRIC
Ignoring the eco-rhetoric, just how will SMEs run their businesses when forced into battery-electric vans, Ian Shaw offers advice
Focus On EV driving: Best practice
o, electric vans. They’re not from another planet, they won’t, alone, save this one and they may not fit into your current operating methods. The big fleets with bulk-buying power, rapid chargers in their own depots and no cares about battery life on their five-year leases will embrace them now, basking in the glow of eco-PR. However, the sole tradesperson will be forced – more by stick than carrot – into them
S @whatvan
and possibly even have to change how they work. On the plus side, they drive quite like a diesel van, even better in many respects, should be cheaper to service and – with a number of caveats – be cheaper to fuel.
The vehicle Let’s start with fuel then and how to save it. Just like the current van, make sure your eLCV is serviced correctly
and you keep your tyres all at the recommended pressures. Even a few psi under-inflated and the rolling resistance increases enough to affect consumption and, as we shall see, rolling resistance matters more in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) than it ever did in a diesel. If you are you permanently carrying tools or kit that is used infrequently, leave it behind. Have a good look around the van and be ruthless about weight saving.
It might be time consuming to vary the amount of kit you take each day but this time must be balanced against the savings to be had. Then let’s look at aerodynamics. If you have a roof rack, there will definitely be improvements to make. Don’t carry the ladders on every job if not required. Also how you carry them makes a difference. If it’s safe to do so without causing a rear overhang or making
August 2023 WhatVan? 17
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 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
