Truck dealer Steadplan expects to cut its annual energy bill by more than £18,000 after switching its parts delivery fleet to Maxus eDeliver 7 electric vans.
The commercial vehicle dealer has taken delivery of five eDeliver 7s, which will each cover around 500 miles per week as part of its parts delivery operation.
Steadplan estimates that a diesel van achieving 34mpg, with diesel costing £1.76 per litre, would cost around £6,100 per year in fuel at that mileage.
Based on an assumed efficiency of 2.3 miles per kWh and electricity costing 22p per kWh, each eDeliver 7 is expected to cost approximately £2,500 per year in electricity.
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That gives Steadplan a projected energy saving of more than £3,600 per van, or over £18,000 annually across the five-vehicle fleet.
The figures do not account for other differences in operating costs between diesel and electric vehicles, but Steadplan says the projected energy saving was central to its decision to make the switch.
Hal Jackson, managing director of Steadplan, said: “We scrutinised the economics of electric vans for our parts operation and the calculations made for a compelling business case.
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“The eDeliver 7 gives us the opportunity to reduce our day-to-day running costs while continuing to provide the service our customers expect.
“It tells us that a move to zero emissions is viable; it can make a positive impact on the bottom line.”
Jackson added that reducing the cost of each mile would allow the business to reinvest the savings elsewhere while maintaining a competitive parts service.
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Gary Brown, commercial operations director at Harris Maxus UK, said the order demonstrated the potential financial case for electric vans operating on suitable duty cycles.
“These vans are going straight into a franchised parts delivery environment, where mileage, uptime and operating costs are all under the microscope,” said Brown.
“The eDeliver 7 demonstrates that electrification can deliver genuine financial benefits for businesses running the right duty cycle.”
