EV Rally showcases commercial charging network for electric fleets

Operators have revealed the ability of e-vans at the 1,400 mile Great British EV Rally this month - as well as the various needs for commercial vehicle operators to decarbonise.

The Great British EV Rally (GBEVR) is run by leasing firm Greenfleet UK as a demonstration of UK EV charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles.

Firms taking part included National Grid, Maxus, The AA, Drivetech, Karcher, Webfleet Solutions, BP Pulse, DPD, Paua, OVO Energy, Mitie, Gridserve, Swarco and Green 2.

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Green 2, a sustainable delivery firm, drove the journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End in a pair of Mercedes-Benz eVito vans provided by Rygor Commercials and assisted by Jamie Fretwell and James Venables from Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK.

Need for separate commercial chargers

The experience revealed the need for separate commercial chargers, according to Green 2 co-founder Lee Sibley, to avoid competing with the general public across the network.

Sibley said: “One challenge was competing with the public at chargers and making sure that you used ones which were slightly out of the way.

“The charging infrastructure throughout was amazing and there really is no issue around being able to get a charge. When you’re travelling on some of the main motorways you do have to consider the fact that you may have to wait a little longer for a charger to become available.”

DPD

Two vehicles from parcel operator DPD also completed the journey, which was staged over 5 days and involved 50 EVs.

The team drover a Ford E-Transit and Maxus eDeliver 3 down through Scotland, the North East to Leeds and then Rockingham Race Circuit, before heading across to the GridServe charging facility in Braintree, Essex. The teams then headed west, calling at Bristol and Cardiff, before the final leg down to Lands’ End, via the Eden Project.

Along the way, the Rally showcased motorway and roadside charging, including charging hubs, destination chargers and electric forecourts.

Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability, DPDgroup UK commented: “The whole purpose of the Rally is to illustrate that operating a 100% electric fleet is no longer just an aspirational strategy. That’s something that is hugely relevant to us as we look to double our electric fleet to 5,000 EVs.

“I was really impressed with the charging options we were able to access right across the country. I think we have certainly helped smash some of the myths around EVs and I’ve come away believing that we genuinely are on the cusp of a charging revolution in the UK.

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