The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recently released its 2020 figures for vans and light commercial vehicles. The sector as a whole saw a 20 percent fall in registrations compared to 2019. Electric van sales bucked the trend and were up an incredible 64.4 percent compared to the previous year.
During 2020 there were 5,266 new battery-electric light commercial vehicles registered compared to 3,204 in 2019. This represents a growth of 64.4 percent. Similarly, alternatively fuelled vans (AFV) also saw a big increase with registrations jumping from 205 units in 2019 to 578 in 2020. This represents an increase of 182 percent.
While these sales only account for around two percent of all light commercial vehicle sales, these figures look set to change drastically in the coming years. More and more companies, both big and small, are switching to electric vans, especially in big cities and for last-mile deliveries. This combined with more online shopping, especially since the world-wide pandemic, has increased the demand for deliveries. Delivery companies including DPD and Amazon are already increasing their electric fleets.
