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Another article on EV activity coming online soon...
The London REE Report: Another Commercial EV test.
"Not only are they environmentally friendly, but the vans could deliver longer term cost benefits and their quietness makes them perfect for working in residential areas"
Last week one of the UK’s biggest commercial fleet operators announced that it is to test out the viability of switching to operating much of its fleet of small trucks and vans on an electric vehicle basis. There is little reason to think that their result will be very different to supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, who earlier this year completed a year long test of EV’s in London supplying their home delivery service. Sainsbury has announced a rollout switch to EVs for use in all their urban delivery service in the UK. My guess is that by 2015 much of the UK urban van and small truck fleet will be EV, with the rest planning to switch in the following 5 years. With oil and diesel prices headed higher, and new reduced particulate standards coming in for diesel in the EU, switching to EVs is a logical financial decision for most urban fleets in the EU. Below, last week’s latest news of a laggards test.
Could BT exchange its fleet for electric vehicles?
Company announces trial of electric vans and promises wider roll out if pilot scheme proves successful
22 Nov 2010
BT [formerly British Telecom] has become the latest corporate giant to announce it is to deploy electric vehicles as part of its fleet in an effort to curb transport emissions and running costs.
The company announced today that BT engineers have begun trialling four electric vans in Milton Keynes and East London in a move that, if successful, will see similar vans rolled out more widely across the company's fleet of 23,400 vehicles.

The news comes just days after international conglomerate General Electric announced it would place the world's largest order for electric vehicles, committing to purchasing 12,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles over the next few years.
A BT spokesman said the company had worked with Allied Electric and Smith Electric Vehicles to convert two Ford vans and two Peugeot vans to run on electric.
He added that BT would now undertake a detailed trial that will see the company assess the specially converted vans' battery life, energy usage, and suitability for supporting engineers' working patterns.
It added that the vans, which will be located at its facility in Milton Keynes and at the Olympic Park in Stratford, should be well suited for engineers working in cities, boasting a range of 100 miles between charges that far exceeds the average 60 to 65 miles per day covered by the company's vans on a normal day.
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In similar news, 2010 has been a year of serious testing of electric vehicles. Next year ought to be a big year of getting bankable feedback. Whatever practical limitations EV’s currently have, will become widely known and fixes and work arounds developed. Our unfolding e-mobility age will shortly be changing up gears again, except in pure EV, aka BEV, nobody has a gear.
Toyota launches plug-in Prius fleet trial
Murdoch Empire among first to get its hands on next-generation Prius
22 Jun 2010
The long-awaited plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius made its debut on British roads yesterday with the launch of a major trial that will see public sector and fleet operators lease the potentially game-changing vehicle for three years.
Transport for London, the Government Car and Despatch Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, News International and Sky are to lease a total of 20 cars as part of a project designed to assess how effective the vehicle proves at curbing carbon emissions and fuel costs.
The project, which forms part of the Technology Strategy Board's Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Programme, will use a network of charging points installed by energy giant EDF to analyse how fleet operators and motorists use the next-generation Prius on a day-to-day basis.
EDF Energy's Martin Lawrence said that the project would play a key part in the government's long-term plans to roll out a national network of vehicle charging points, providing crucial information on motorists' driving and recharging habits.
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The 2012 London Olympics is also supposed to be another EV showcase event. This one with more of a global reach. All too soon our pioneering phase of EV is about to pass. If you’re young and adventurous and willing to be an early adopter, our EV age of excitement is here for the next couple of years. My guess is that by 2015 it will have passed. For our 21st century EV early adopters, there’s none of the early 20th century risk of breaking a thumb or wrist cranking the car while awaiting for Mr Kettering to invent the electric starter motor.
The electric engine means the driving experience is similar to a traditional automatic, but while automatics often feel sluggishly underpowered, virtually all the power generated by the Leaf's electric motor is translated into torque, meaning that when you put your foot down you feel like you are about to take off.
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More tomorrow.
Graeme Irvine, London.