Fleets are increasingly using electric vans for longer daily journeys. That's according to new research from the Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer which shows that businesses are successfully deploying electric vans in a manner similar to their diesel counterparts.
Higher levels of electric van use are challenging the perception that battery-powered vehicles are only suitable for short, local routes.
The study, based on a survey of fleet operators, shows a trend toward more intensive use of electric vans.
For small vans, 32% of respondents reported using them for daily routes of over 100 miles, compared to just 18% for shorter distances. This pattern was replicated across all vehicle sizes.
For medium electric vans, 30% were used for longer routes, versus 17% for shorter ones.
With large electric vans, 29% were deployed on longer routes, with 27% on shorter ones.
John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, described the results as "fascinating," adding that they "contradict the more pessimistic commentary that has emerged in the last couple of years around electric van adoption".
"These findings indicate that operators are not limiting their electric van ambitions to local routes," said Peters.
He added: "In fact, a basic calculation suggests the majority of these vehicles are covering 25,000 or more miles a year."
The data points to fleets effectively overcoming concerns about battery range and payload, using their electric vans in the same intensive way they would a diesel vehicle.
The findings also show a shift from the previous year where the percentage of fleets operating electric vans on sub-100-mile distances has actually fallen.
Since 2024, electric van use on shorter routes has dropped from 25% to 18% for small vans and from 24% to 17% for medium vans.
Peters concluded: "The real-world experience of fleets over time is that electric van operation is less compromised than the general narrative suggests."
