Everyone loves free money, especially when it is offered by the government. While the grants for electric cars have ended abruptly, there are still generous grants for for electric vans available if you are in the market for a new electric van or other commercial vehicle.
The experts at Eden will be only too happy to help talk you through the options and help you make the most of the government grants for electric vans to help you buy or lease a new electric Vauxhall van or Peugeot van.
The incentives, officially called the Plug-in van and truck grant, are in place to help make zero emission commercial vehicles more attractive to businesses.
The grants for electric vans are split into two levels, with different amounts of financial help available depending on the size of the van:
The first level is for ‘Small’ vans which are less than 2,500 kilograms gross vehicle weight, have CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and can travel at least 96km (60 miles) without producing any emissions at all. Currently this is limited to pure electric vans only. Eden offers the brilliant Peugeot e-Partner and Vauxhall Combo-e which meet this criteria.
The grant will pay for 35% of the purchase pricefor these small vans, up to a maximum of £2,500.
The second level of grant is for ‘Large’ vans with a gross vehicle weight of between 2,500kg and 3,500kg, CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and an electric-only range of at least 60 miles between charges. Eden can currently offer the Peugeot e-Boxer, Peugeot e-Expert, Vauxhall Vivaro-e and Vauxhall Movano-e in this category. The grant is more generous and will pay for 35% of the purchase price for these vehicles, up to a maximum of £5,000.
You are entitled to claim a total of 1,000 plug-in van and truckgrants for your business or organisation each year. This limit resets every year on 1 April.
In addition to these incentives, there may be other grants available on a local basis to help businesses, charities and other organisations make the switch. Your Eden van expert will be able to tell you about any extra help available in your region.
There isn’t just help to purchase the electric vans either. Many towns and cities are now offering incentives to plug-in vehicles, ranging from exemption from tolls to free parking. If you drive into London regularly for example, your electric Vauxhall or Peugeot van will be eligible for a 100% discount on the Congestion Charge, saving £15 per day. They are, of course, also exempt from the wider ULEZ charge, saving a further £12.50 per day compared to an older diesel van.
Many councils will also offer free or discounted parking for electric vehicles, including vans. Taking central London as an example again, an electric van driver will be able to park for up to four hours in Westminster but only pay for the first 10 minutes—that usually costs less than £1.
These benefits are just some of the advantages of running an electric van from Eden. You might be surprised at how practical they are, with payloads and space that match the diesel models. They are certainly far removed from the'milk float’ electric vans you might have in mind!
Why not contact a friendly van specialist at Eden and take advantage of government grants for electric vans!