A new national map that shows for the first time where UK businesses need kerbside charging close to the homes of 75,000 company van drivers has been unveiled by the Association of Fleet Professionals.
The map shows where drivers employed by AFP member companies need kerbside charging in order to adopt an electric vehicle.
Key findings include that nearly four out of 10 homes (38.7%) are without off-road space that would enable chargers to be fitted for an electric panel van. Overall, 65-70% of AFP van drivers need kerbside charging installed.
Paul Hollick, AFP chair, said, “As businesses move to electrify their company vehicles ahead of the Government’s 2030 deadline, the high number of drivers without space available off-road to have a charger installed is a major obstacle to electrification. This is especially the case for electric vans, whose drivers are much more likely to live in a terraced house or apartment and lack this kind of parking.
“In these locations, kerbside facilities need to be installed in order for crucial overnight charging to take place – and the new map has been created in order to show national and local government, as well as charging providers, exactly where these new chargers are needed by our members.
“It means that fleet operators can engage in conversations directly with these partners about how quickly charging can be installed. It’s very much a situation where, until facilities are available, it is very difficult for electric vans to be adopted. Our aim is for kerbside charging to be made available within a safe 4-5 minute walk for all of these employee drivers.
“The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many publicly available charging points are simply not big enough to take a panel van. For electric vans to become widely used by fleets, a massive upgrading of the general infrastructure is essential. “
The map was produced by net-zero analytics consultancy Field Dynamics. Partner Charlie Gilbert said: “We’ve created the data based on a driver having space for a typical electric van – in this, case, a Vauxhall Vivaro E – looking at 28 million homes in 408 lower level local authority areas. The map shows overall driver footprint demand with more detailed statistics about higher and lower kerbside charging need areas.
