Sparks will fly in electric van market

Okay, enough already. We hear you, constant reader (how dare I para-phrase the great Stephen King?!) – we do not show biased to van insurance brokers, even though it is the cheap van insurance quotes we provide that draws you to our site, so neither should we show favour to commercial vehicle manufacturers.

We recently ran an article for Mercedes Benz Commercial and the beginning of a transition of their commercial vehicle fleet to electric and hybrid powered vans. It is only fair then, Papa, to mention their French counterparts Renault, who are no slouches in this department, either.

This is good news for those interested in going green with their delivery vehicles but may have been dissuaded by expensive van insurance premiums in the past. It is simple logic – the more competition, the more available spare parts so, when a van does break down, the sourcing of the replacement component does not become a factor when calculating the price of your van insurance renewal policy. Theoretically brilliant, but let’s see how and when that does actually have an impact on your next van insurance quote, eh?

This has just been one issue persuading business owners not to turn their fleet to electric juice – speed, fuel availability – many factors have deterred van drivers in the past, but that is all changing. And Renault firmly believe that, with Euro III Emission legislation and the London Low Emission Zone kicking in next month (January 2012), many UK business owners will be tempted by their Kangoo ZE model.

Mercedes have struck the first blow with their zero-emission vehicles coming off the production line, already. But they are also focusing on a hybrid series. Renault have approached it differently with the Kangoo ZE. Whereas Toyota undoubtedly ruled the roost with hybrid technology, they want to do the same with 100% electric power, leaving the Germans to dabble in both but, if you like, be a Jackboot of both trades, rather than the master of either.

Following tests, Renault have found that once the 9,000 milestone has been breached, the new model is much more cost efficient than its diesel rival – especially when you eliminate the £100/day fee for non-compliant vans in the LEZ. What’s more, they are bringing the van to market at approximately half the cost of its electric competition. Shocking!

And for business owners worried about constantly replacing components, Renault will change the battery once its power has depleted by 25% – that’s a staggering eight years, from new. If that remains an issue, Renault are offering both outright purchase and also rental options. They do this as their belief is that, before the end of this decade, one tenth of all UK vehicles will be electric or zero-emission powered.  Nous serons l’Anglais verts, mes amis!

When we reach that point, there will be no excuses for anything other than very cheap van insurance policies for all business owners who go for the greener option.