Costain has completed one of the UK construction sector's first pilots to test the use of electric vans on major project sites.

The pilot programme, in partnership with Enterprise Flex E-Rent, tested the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in construction projects, with electric vans trialled across a range of different teams and workplace scenarios.

The three Costain projects included on the pilot were the Preston Western Distributor Road scheme in Lancashire, the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross project near Truro in Cornwall, and the A12 widening scheme near Chelmsford in Essex.

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Electric vans were used by Costain's health and safety, environment and laboratory teams, with the vehicles typically carrying lighter materials and equipment that weigh within electric van payload guidelines. Enterprise fitted the vehicles used for the pilot with technology to capture detailed data and provide insights on the electric vehicle usage.

To meet the challenge of long-distance charging, Costain installed banks of up to 25 EV charging points at the three pilot locations to ensure that the teams have easy and safe access to power.

The pilot is a key steppingstone in Costain's Climate Change Action Plan, with Costain committing to all of its operations, including its supply chain, being net zero carbon by 2035, with zero emissions from the company car fleet by 2030. In 2022, 99% of the cars delivered to Costain staff were ultralow or low emissions vehicles (ULEVs and LEVs). EV charging points are available at all of Costain's offices and installation of charging points within site compounds is now a mandatory element of site set-up.