British Gas has already shown a strong commitment to EV’s, promising to electrify their fleet of 12,000 vans by 2030.
A huge step towards this has been their order of 1,000 new Vivaro-e vans, representing the biggest single order for electric vehicles to date. This launch of an electrified version of its flagship Vivaro van represents Vauxhalls move to become an EV manufacturer. While its official launch was canceled due to coronavirus restrictions, it was given a very fitting digital launch instead.
British Gas plans to first roll out its new electric fleet with volunteer staff, however they also want to focus on areas which have existing pollution issues.
“Our engineers and their vans are part of the local community they serve and it’s important we reduce the emissions of our vans so that we are contributing towards better air quality in their area and the environment. We are committed to the transition to electric vehicles which involves changing our fleet as well as helping consumers and businesses with charge points and infrastructure. We chose to work with Vauxhall as they were able to give us a large number of high-quality and low emission vans to help us effectively serve our customers – and they will also work with us on future EV solutions. Transport is a key area where we can improve carbon emissions and is an important part of our strategy to meet our net-zero targets“
Matthew Bateman, Managing Director, British Gas