Friday 24 September 2010

White van plan: vehicles go 100% electric

White vans - and their proverbial 'man' - are known for many things, but being environmentally friendly is not one of them.

This could change though with the launch of a totally electric van. Looking like a typical 'white van', it can travel 100 miles while carrying a 650kg load after a maximum charge of five hours - good news for inner-city courier fleets whose vehicles usually clock up between 35-50 miles a day.

The van, which utilises VW's Caddy Maxi for its chassis, is designed for city pick-ups and drop-offs and its electric status would also make it exempt from London's congestion charge.

The vehicle, which is expected to be trialled with some major vehicle manufacturers soon, has been designed by vehicle technology company RLE International.

RLE's head of engineering Paul Bridden told ELN: "We recognise there's a market within the fleet and distribution sector not covered by the main car manufacturers."