Fleet electrification and retrofit tech firm Bedeo is calling on the government to support the retrofitting of diesel vans with an electric powertrain.
The company points to date from The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) which reveals that 94% of all vans in the UK still run on diesel.
Osman Boyner, founder and CEO of Bedeo, says: “Van fleet operators need real options – not just the choice between new large electric vans or nothing. Retrofitting extends the lifespan of existing large vans, keeps businesses moving and drastically reduces emissions without breaking the bank. Not to mention that it [retrofitting] does all this without impacting payload, which we know is a real problem for managers of large van fleets.”
He continues: “If we look at the average age of light commercial vehicles in the EU and UK – the oldest belonging to Greece at an impressive 21.1 years, and 9.8 in the UK (and rising) – we can surmise that the 2035 phase out of new fossil-fuelled vehicles won’t make much of a dent to carbon reductions if pre-existing vehicles using petrol and diesel continue to pollute for decades after the ban. In fact, this will continue well past 2040.
“To put this into perspective, in 2024, van vehicle miles racked up 58.7 billion miles, and in general, vans in the UK are responsible for 18% of all vehicle miles. That’s a fair amount of greenhouse gases. It’s time for our government to support real-world solutions instead of ignoring the practical challenges large van fleets face. I fear we’ll look back and wish we had taken action today, and looked at a viable solution that’s available today – retrofitting – and not ignoring its ability to decarbonise.”
Boyner points to France, which has already embraced retrofitting with government-backed incentives, which he says proves that it is a viable and scalable option. He adds that retrofitting can cost up to 50% less than purchasing a new large battery-electric van, prevents unnecessary vehicle scrappage and cuts emissions immediately.
