EVS could go the last mile to cut emissions
DELIVERY vehicles in towns across the UK could be replaced by electric vans, quadricycles and e-cargo bikes, after the Department for Transport (DFT) launched an investigation into “last-mile” parcel distributions.
Some 96 per cent of UK vans run on diesel, with the rise of online shopping blamed for a 4.7 per cent increase in van traffic during 2016 alone.
Now the DFT is asking how electric alternatives might help the Government meet its air quality targets. Businesses and individuals can suggest if incentives could help companies move away from conventional vans, and how urban “consolidation centres” would help improve “logistical efficiency”.
The DFT says distribution networks will require “major changes” if EV bikes and vans are to take over deliveries of goods in British towns and cities.
At present, diesel vans are loaded at huge out-of-town warehouses. These are unsuitable for many small electric vehicles, though, which face limits both in terms of range, and the number of parcels they can carry. For example, e-cargo bikes are typically only capable of carrying goods weighing up to 125kg.