London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has joined forces with one of the UK’s leading commercial vehicle rental providers Europcar by supplying it with a 100-van fleet of new VN5 electric vans.
The deal will give Europcar customers the opportunity to explore how the electric VN5 can fit into their working lives, without committing to a purchase.
For Europcar, the VN5 represents a pivotal step for a company seeking to reduce the environmental impact of its fleets as part of its ‘One Sustainable Fleet’ programme.
Chief executive of LEVC Joerg Hofmann said: “I am delighted we have signed this agreement with Europcar, which will enable many businesses to try our innovative new electric van before they buy.”
“LEVC and Europcar share a common goal to advance the accessibility of sustainable transport, and I am confident that businesses will see that VN5 is the ideal green mobility solution, offering zero-emission capability with no range-anxiety.”
One of the most pressing issues that the VN5 will help to address is the lack of electric vans available in the UK, as well as cost barriers for outright purchase.
Added to this is that these vans will provide customers with a compliant solution when entering Clean Air Zones in cities.
“Research conducted in 2021 found that 89% of businesses expect a quarter or more of their fleet to enter a Clean Air Zone more than once a week,” said Ron Santiago, managing director of Europcar Mobility Group UK.
The VN5 has a pure electrci range of 60 miles and a total flexible range of 304 miles using its extender petrol generator, making it ideally suited for urban deliveries. Under WLTP testing, the van can achieve a 76-mile range.
It has 5.5m3 of capacity and a gross payload of up to 830kg. The platform on which the EV5 is built comes from the same innovative architecture as LEVC’s TX electric taxi.