VAUXHALL has won orders for hundreds of its all-electric New Vivaro-e vans to two fleets.
It will supply Mitie, one of the UK’s leading facilities management and professional services companies, with 655 Vivaro-e vans and the first one as already been delivered and taking Mitie to the landmark of 1,000 electric vehicles on its fleet.
The van will be used by Mitie frontline engineers and has been specially fitted-out to ensure it can carry all the equipment needed while minimising weight, to help maximise the battery’s range.
Meanwhile, Riverford, a Devon-based organic fruit and vegetable box supplier, aims to turn 100% of its national fleet electric by the end of 2025, with the arrival of 10 zero emissions Vivaro-e vans estimated to help save more than 68 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Already in operation, Riverford is using the vans to make deliveries in and around its first fully-electric hub in Bristol.
Riverford chose the award-winning Vivaro-e thanks to its excellent range and payload capacity, making it an ideal vehicle for a sustainable enterprise like Riverford.
Jason Holt, Riverford’s head of logistics said: “We chose Bristol as the site of our first fully-electric delivery hub because of its green reputation and commitment to climate change. Electric vehicles are an absolute no-brainer for all delivery businesses, especially Riverford where we pride ourselves on being environmentally conscious.”
The Vivaro-e comes with a 6.6m3 maximum load volume and a best-in-class 1,226kg maximum payload capacity, and is capable of towing up to one tonne. With its zero emissions, the Vivaro-e is crucially exempt from current congestion and ultra-low emissions charges comes with a Benefit-in-Kind rate of 60% of the standard van.
While Mitie began its electric vehicle transition in mid-2019, this was with a focus on cars
and small vans, as there was no viable alternative for its large diesel vans with an adequate
range to manage the heavy load often carried by mobile engineering teams.
Mitie ordered the 75kWh battery vans with a split of standard L1 and long L2 wheelbase
versions. Capable of up to 205 miles from a single charge, these Vivaro-e vans support up to
100kW rapid charging with an 80 per cent charge taking just 45 minutes.
Simon King, Director of Sustainability and Social Value, Mitie, said: “When we began our EV
journey 18 months ago we thought switching our big vans would be one of our biggest
challenges. However, with Vauxhall helping us overcome this hurdle, we’re very pleased to
be marking our milestone 1,000 th zero emission vehicle.
“We’re making great progress towards our target of 2,021 EVs in 2021 and helping even more Mitie fleet drivers switch to electric.”
