- England’s National Highways has made another significant move to electrify its fleet of vehicles that keep England’s major roads and motorways running, placing an order for another 58 fully-electric Toyota vehicles.
- The order includes 18 Toyota Proace Electric vans, and 40 of Toyota’s bZ4x car.
- These new vehicles will join the 51 fully-electric Toyota bZ4Xs already operational in National Highways’ fleet.
National Highways set an electrification example
National Highways are in charge of over 4,500 miles worth of motorways and major A-roads that span across England, and with that in mind, significant demand is placed on fleet vehicles – but with the significant improvement in EV technology over the past few years, it’s clear that this public body believes electric vehicles are more than up to the job.
The new Proace Electric vans will join National Highways’ specialist structures inspection team, which play a key role in keeping the country’s roads open and safe.
The order works towards National Highways’ goal of having all non-traffic officer light vehicles being fully-electric by 2027, before traffic officer vehicles also go fully-electric by 2030 (the same year that new petrol and diesel cars will be banned). There’s a positive side effect to this for the wider EV industry, too. With such vehicles being a very common sight on the road for the millions of people travelling along England’s Motorways and major A-roads, would-be EV buyers could be swayed by the display of EV capability, with National Highways picking EVs in what is a high-demand workload.
Andy Butterfield, Director of Operational Services at National Highways, commented:
“Our operations run 24/7 to keep roads safe, well maintained and free-flowing—helping people reach their destinations safely and on time. These new vehicles will support that round-the-clock service, particularly for asset inspectors keeping vital infrastructure in check. Just as importantly, they represent a major step in cutting our carbon footprint. By 2027, all our non-traffic officer light vehicles will be electric, with traffic officer vehicles following by 2030. It’s a big shift—and this investment proves we’re committed to making it happen.”
Neil Broad, General Manager of One Toyota Fleet Services, added:
“It is rewarding to partner again with National Highways and support their work across the country maintaining safety of our road network. As more businesses look to make the switch to electric vehicles, we have a team able to provide guidance and support along with one of the largest ranges of commercial vehicles available in the UK market.”
