Back

The AFP says that 4.25 tonne van restrictions are hindering electric van uptake in fleets

28 June 2023

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has highlighted that restrictions applying to 4.25 tonne vans are hindering electric van adoption within fleets, despite the fact that a special concession was created by the Department of Transport for electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in 2019.

This concession means that standard B licence holders are now able to drive electric LCVs weighing up to 4.25 tonnes, as opposed to the original weight limit of 3.5 tonnes, to allow for heavy EV batteries.

However, many of the AFP’s fleet members are reporting that, because a 4.5 tonne van is technically classed as a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), other issues such as speed restrictions and tachograph regulations are complicating matters further.

AFP Chair Paul Hollick said, “If the idea of the concession is that fleets can easily choose a 4.25 tonne electric van instead of a 3.5 tonne diesel one, then that is not currently possible. There are just too many additional responsibilities and regulatory uncertainties. We’ll be campaigning for the necessary changes and asking other industry bodies to support our efforts.”

We at Marshall Leasing are proud to say that our Sales Director, Richard Baird, serves on the board of directors for the AFP. If you are interested in becoming a member of the AFP, you can find more information here.

If you would like to find out more about how you could benefit from our all-inclusive fleet management offering, please get in touch with our team of experts by emailing info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or calling 01480 414541. We will be delighted to assist.

Back