Leasing and fleet management provider Holman is advocating for significant reforms to electric van regulations on testing and tachographs to drive market growth, particularly for vehicles exceeding the 3.5 tonnes Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) threshold.

The company has responded to the Government’s recently closed consultation on MOT testing and tachograph use for electric vans with a MAM of 3.5t to 4.25t with proposals for a hybrid testing approach.

Dominic Hutchinson, Holman’s head of operations, said: “We fully support the transfer of annual testing for zero-emission commercial vehicles with a MAM of 3.5t to 4.25t from the heavy vehicle testing system to the MOT network.

“The HGV MOT network already struggles with capacity, and adding what could be a considerable number of extra units to those repairers will only exacerbate the situation. Taking advantage of the large number of independent MOT stations makes far more sense and is far less likely to impact asset operators.”

While supporting the move to allow heavier electric vans to undergo testing outside the HGV MOT network, Holman believes annual testing should be maintained rather than adopting a three-year first MOT regime.

The company, which manages thousands of vans including BT Group’s recently announced record order of electric commercial vehicles, argues that sufficient data on the safety implications of heavier e-LCVs won’t be available until the end of the decade under a three-year testing cycle.

Hutchinson added: “The issue with moving to a three-year first MOT regime is that we’re not going to get any statistically relevant data from the DVSA until the end of this decade at the earliest – and that’s assuming many of these vans come into use in the next year or two.

“That’s too long to wait to find out what’s going on in terms of compliance. So, we believe these vans should be subject to a hybrid regime, taking advantage of the capacity of the Class 7 MOT network while applying the annual testing of the HGV regime.”

On the matter of tachographs, Holman believes they should be removed for the latest models, citing that in-cab active safety systems now required by legislation should make heavier vans as safe as lighter ones.

The current requirement for tachographs in vans traveling more than 62 miles from base creates operational confusion, according to the company.

Hutchinson explained: “In terms of removing the need for tachographs and driver hours legislation, we should see a reduction in overhead costs for all operators, which will help facilitate the transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). However, we need to ensure this does not come at the expense of road safety, so a balance must be struck. This is a critical issue for the adoption of these vehicle types.”