Electric Van Uptake Delayed by Grid Connection Wait Times
The adoption of electric vans in the UK is being significantly delayed due to operators facing wait times of up to 15 years for grid connections to their depots. This has left businesses ‘grid-locked’ as the queue for grid connections has grown tenfold in just five years. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is calling for immediate action to address this issue.
The SMMT is advocating for the government to extend its recent promise to fast-track grid connections for data centers, wind farms, and solar power installations to include transport depots. “We cannot deliver net zero and improve air quality without decarbonising commercial vehicles,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “But if operators have to wait up to 15 years just to be able to plug them into their depots, there is no case for investment.”
The delay in electric van uptake is concerning given the UK’s Zero Emission Van (ZEV) Mandate targets. By 2025, 16% of new van sales are expected to be electric, but current sales are at just 8.3%. The industry believes that without action to speed up infrastructure development, government targets will not be met. By 2030, 70% of new van sales are supposed to be electric, and by 2035, all new van sales must be electric.
Commercial vehicles play a significant role in the UK economy, with 5.1 million vans and 626,000 trucks on the roads. They transport over 80% of domestic freight and contribute £13.5 billion to the economy annually. However, they are responsible for more than a third of all road transport CO2 emissions and 12% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Transitioning the entire fleet to electric vehicles could deliver CO2 savings greater than Sweden’s total carbon footprint.
The industry is warning that the government may need to revisit the ZEV Mandate targets as early as 2026 if infrastructure development does not accelerate. “By next year, it seems likely that it will become clear the gap between the real van market and ZEV Mandate projections are unbridgeable, and that further action will have to be taken,” said Peter Golding, MD of FleetCheck.
