White van men and women going green, GRIDSERVE research shows

Britain’s ‘white van’ men and women are going green with millions eyeing up an electric vehicle, according to research by sustainable energy business GRIDSERVE.

According to the study of 500 van drivers, more than half (55%) believed they would be driving an electric vehicle within the next two years and more than eight in ten (82%) want to see more companies using environmentally friendly vans in their fleet.

It also revealed 70% said they were more likely to switch to fully electric than five years ago and nearly nine in 10 (88%) van drivers believe everyone should do their best to be as environmentally friendly as possible. 

The average van driver could save more than £2,720 a year in fuel by moving away from petrol and diesel, and six in ten drivers (63%) also believe making the switch could even open new opportunities to do more business with a socially conscious clientele.

Additionally 59% saying that they’d prefer that the name “white van man” be retired in favour of a more inclusive term and one in three (32%) happy to be referred to as a ‘white van person.’ 

Sam Clarke, Chief Vehicle Officer at GRIDSERVE, said: “It’s great that today’s van drivers are ready to make the switch to electric.”

“Van drivers are a key part of the electric road revolution and will make a huge impact as more and more switch to cleaner vehicles. Our calculations estimate that switching the UK’s fleet of vans to electric could save 15 million tonnes of CO2 every year. In London alone, 664,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved every single year by switching all the petrol and diesel vans in the capital to electric. Beyond air quality, businesses could save a collective £2.4 million a day from Congestion Charge, too, and even more once you consider the new ULEZ expansion. 

“It couldn’t be easier to make the switch now, with over 170 locations and over 680 charge on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, enabling more people to charge up on the road.”

Image from Shutterstock

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