Delivered in partnership with commercial vehicle rental specialist Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, the vans will support FM Conway's highway term maintenance contracts across the London boroughs of Croydon, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.
The two Nissan e-NV200 plug-in vans are among the first light commercial vehicles to be sourced under flexible rental. They are being used to demonstrate how zero emissions electric technology can play an integral role in establishing sustainable fleets. This trial comes at a time when van operators prepare for the introduction of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019.
John Tobin, FM Conway's Asset Manager, said: "FM Conway has always strived to be at the forefront of fleet innovation in the construction industry, whether to lead on road safety standards or showcase best practice in reducing carbon footprint.
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"When we started to talk to Enterprise about electric vans, it became clear that on both sides we wanted to demonstrate how they could be effective as part of a sustainable working fleet.
"Many companies that invested early on in electric vans found that it can take time to identify the right applications for them in day to day work. This trial is helping us to see how we can integrate more electric vehicles across our business and we have recently installed electric charging points at our vehicle depots to pave the way for further investment.
"So far, the two vehicles have been a huge success. Our drivers are recharging them about once every three days. They look and are used exactly like every other van in our fleet - except, of course, with zero emissions."
Danny Glynn, Managing Director of Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, added: "Sustainability is key to our customers and to Enterprise. Many organisations are still unclear about the role that electric vehicles play within a working fleet, given current costs and the charging infrastructure. This is why we were so keen to partner with FM Conway on this project. We wanted to demonstrate that there are clear applications for electric vans.
"Emissions legislation is emerging as a number one priority as towns and cities across the country try to improve urban air quality. With many high-profile contracts in central London, FM Conway is the perfect partner to showcase the potential of electric vehicles in reducing emissions in urban areas."
(CM/MH)
