Commercial Vans Likely to Dominate Electric Vehicle Market

So far electric vehicles have made little impact on the commercial market. Excluding the humble milk float few commercial vehicle fleets feature electric vans or cars. A new report by Frost & Sullivan predicts that the commercial sector will account for "70 per cent of the electric vehicle market in the EU and North America by 2015".



The limitations of the current crop of electric vehicles have so far prevented them from being widely used in the commercial sector. so far they are less reliable and harder to run than the traditional vans for sale. Improvements are expected as the technology advances over the coming years and this is likely to have a big effect on popularity. With this in mind Frost & Sullivan see the commercial sector leading the way and accounting for well over half of all new electric vehicle sales.

Proposed tax breaks for electric vans may make those operating traditional vans consider investing in new fleets. Buses are also prime candidates to be replaced: their repetitive routes mean that charging could be less of an issue. Bus routes tend to begin and end at the bus station which means that they can be charged on a day-to-day bases unlike long haul trucks and lorries.