NEW electric LCV registrations are lower by all metrics, according to the latest official figures.
While total new van sales are up 8.0% year-to-date following a 5.4% rise in April, eLCV figures are down.
April saw a drop of more than 40% in electric vans with the market share collapsing to 3.6% against 6.6% in April 2023.
Over the first four months of 2024, BEV van registrations are down 3.1% and now account for less than 5% of the market. A year ago that figure was 5.4%.
Just 861 electric LCVs were registered in April against 1,494 a year ago.
The overall 8% rise in total LCV figures has led the SMMT to up its forecast for 2024 with the trade body now expecting the year to finish up 3.3% ahead of 2023 at 353,000 vans. However, the BEV market share prediction has been revised to 8.3%, down from 9.4% in the January outlook.
Under the ZEV Mandate, vehicle manufacturers are expected to hit a ZEV mix of 10% or face significant fines.
The overall figures hide the individual brand EV market mix figures. Much of the overall shortfall is due to Ford’s poor performance with electric vans as the all-electric Transit Custom does not go on sale until later this year.
The Custom is the UK’s best-selling van year-to-date. However, with the mid-size Ford currently in the middle of a model change-over, many variants (including the EV, and double-cab in van) are not yet available.
The monthly figures show the full-size Transit was the best selling van in April, just ahead of the Custom.
While number one player Ford was up in April, by nearly 10%, its next nearest rival Volkswagen was up nearly 32% and third-place Vauxhall was up more than 16%.
ZEV order quotas causing issues for van fleets
NEW van fleet order quotas stipulated by van OEMs in response to the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate are creating difficulties for van fleet operators.
The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is reporting that several major van makers are insisting that a proportion of all vehicle orders must be electric to reflect the percentage of ZEV vehicles they are now legally required to sell.
AFP chair Paul Hollick (above) explained: “It’s quickly becoming a widespread practice that when a fleet wants to order a quantity of vans, manufacturers are asserting that a percentage is electric – often 10% to reflect the 2024 ZEV mandate.
“The problem is that some fleets just don’t have a role for these electric vans within their business. Their payload and range requirements mean there is no operational profile for which the electric van can be practically used, or there is no suitable charging infrastructure.”
Read our analysis of March 2024 LCV registrations
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Tristan Young is an award winning journalist with more than 25 years’ experience reporting on the automotive industry focussing predominantly on fleet and retail. As a self-confessed petrol-head, Tristan has a weakness for car classifieds. When he’s not writing about the automotive industry, he can usually be found outdoors with a small pack of border collies.
