Vauxhall wins 2000 electric van order
Its not every day you get an order for 2000 vans but its even more surprising when its an order for 2000 electric vans ! That’s the situation with an order by Centrica which owns British Gas for the new all electric Vivaro-e.
Centrica Commit to all electric
Centrica take their commitment to become a net zero organisation, Centrica, owner of British Gas, seriously and as part of this goal, they have committed to electrify its 12,000 strong operational fleet by 2025, five years earlier than originally planned and five years before the governments road to zero policy bans the sale of new diesel vans.
Vauxhall and British Gas
Amazingly this 2000 van order is just the beginning of the British Gas and Vauxhall relationship as they have pledged to buy more over the coming years, and will see to never purchase another combustion engine vehicle.
In addition to the 1,000 purchased last Summer, the Vauxhall purchase represents the largest commercial BEV (battery electric van) order in the UK to date. All 3,000 electric vehicles will be on the road by 2022 and engineers can volunteer to have the new vans during the rollout, the company is prioritising high pollution areas to help lower emissions.
Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, said:
“Everyone needs to act now to lower carbon emissions and help the UK reach net zero. We are leading from the front by not only lowering emissions for our customers and our communities, but by lowering our own emissions, and by increasing the speed at which we do this. Fully electrifying our fleet will make a big difference.“At the same time, we are helping our customers make the switch to electric and working with motor manufacturers such as Vauxhall on services and solutions for their EV customers such as charge points, infrastructure and innovative EV tariffs with cheaper charging at night and free EV miles.
“We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the Government to create the new jobs our country needs as we all seek to build back greener.”
Paul Willcox, Managing Director of Vauxhall Motors, said:
“I am delighted that British Gas has added to its initial order of fully-electric Vauxhall Vivaro-e vans that now represents the largest electric vehicle order for a commercial fleet in the UK. As the oldest British vehicle Brand since 1903, I want to thank British Gas, a fellow British business, for their loyalty and trust in Vauxhall.
“As with all businesses up and down the country, tradespeople rely on their van as an essential tool of their work and our 300-strong Retailer network is crucial in continuing to provide support to carry British business. The strength of the quantity of orders for our all-electric van demonstrates that the Vauxhall Vivaro-e can contribute towards the transition towards low emissions vehicles whilst improving air quality.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“It’s encouraging to see that one of Britain’s best-known brands is leading the way with the largest commercial EV fleet in the UK.“This is a huge step as we build back greener, lower our carbon footprint and deliver better air quality up and down the country – with more zero-emission models of cars and vans on the market than ever before, there has never been a better time for drivers and businesses to make the switch.