Osman Boyner has been a driving force in the electrification of commercial vehicle fleets since 2009. His company, BEDEO, is a Tier 1 supplier of Stellantis, responsible for electrifying the OEM group’s large vans until very recently. BEDEO has calculated that through its OEM and fleet customers, it has enabled 60 million km of electrified travel for large vans, with more to come through its Reborn Electric retrofit solutions for used large vans.
Launched last year and recognising the evolving landscape of the automotive industry and growing demand for sustainable solutions, BEDEO developed an offer for e-retrofit solutions aimed at the used vans market, under its new Reborn Electric programme. Utilising the company’s Group proprietary technology, extensive knowledge in e-powertrains and battery packs alongside its real-world application success, Reborn Electric aims to lessen the burden for fleets to transition to net-zero and realise the power of the circular economy.
Joined by senior advisors such as former JLR CEO Thierry Bolloré and Joachim Dress, who held the role of CEO at MAN SE and MAN Truck & Bus SE (formerly MAN Truck & Bus AG), Osman’s company, BEDEO, is offering a real-world solution that not only saves time, money and embedded carbon; helping fleets decarbonise, on the road to net-zero. I caught up with Osman to chat about commercial vehicle fleets and the status of the industry, including where BEDEO Group fits into the mix.
DO YOU DRIVE AN EV?
WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN LARGE VANS AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE FLEETS?
Large vans are one of the biggest polluters. Next time you look out of a window – whether it’s in a village or large city – count how many large vans you see. I think you’d be surprised. As there is no new data available, in 2019, there were 670,000 N1 and 12,000 N2 large vans on our roads. As the total amount of vans increased by 10% from 2019 to 2021, we can extrapolate out to this number.
Looking at a usage and pollution point of view, a van is said to emit approximately five times more NOx and over three times more PM2.5 annually compared to a car, primarily due to its higher annual mileage and heavier payloads. While electrification numbers for light commercial vehicles (LCVs) seem promising, a closer examination reveals a concerning disparity, and that’s where we [BEDEO] decided to step in.
Initially our work on the commercial vehicle fleet side was with Stellantis in 2019, (back then PSA Group), providing them with a solution to electrify their large vans by manufacturing and assembling drivetrains for their extensive LCV family (GVW: 3.5-4.5t). Today, we are also looking at solutions for retrofitting used vans to run on electrified powertrains, extending their lifecycles and total cost of ownership (TCO) while also fulfilling decarbonisation goals.
BEDEO GROUP IS FOCUSED ON SUPPLYING ELECTRIFICATION SOLUTIONS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLE FLEETS AND PROVIDING ELECTRIC IN-WHEEL MOTORS TO OEMS, IS THAT FAIR TO SAY?
Absolutely, yes, that’s correct. BEDEO Group is deeply invested in three core areas: retrofitting [large] vans and offering electrification services, plus supplying in-wheel motors to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This multi focus underscores our [BEDEO Group’s] commitment to both improving existing vehicles and pioneering innovative solutions for the future of mobility.
ON THE BEDEO RETROFIT, REBORN ELECTRIC SIDE, I’VE SEEN YOU’VE BEEN QUITE VOCAL ON THE UK GOVERNMENT’S PART TO PLAY IN LEGISLATION AND GRANTS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CURRENT RULES?
Honestly? There’s work to do. When we came to the UK in 2012 it was due to the UK Government’s pioneering vision and incentivisation of electrifying fleets (and passenger cars). The UK was one of the first to offer the plug-in car grant, which is now no longer in use; plus the plug-in van grant, which is due to close in 2025 and has reduced from £16,000 to £6,000 in that time [from 2012 to now]!
The whole point of the [plug-in van] grant, especially for fleets, was to bridge the gap and make the cost of a brand-new electric van cheaper. As the price of a large electric light commercial vehicle (eLCV) continues to float at around £55,000, and with, on my last count 70% of those users having some form of rear cargo fit out – refrigerators, special machinery etc. – costing around £7,500 on average, that means converting from diesel to electric can be around £62,500 per vehicle. It all adds up when you have a fleet, and in today’s world where every penny in a small to medium sized business (SME) counts, they need all the help they can get with grants and suchlike.
Of course, this is just the cost for new vans, but I wanted to give you a picture of what’s going on. Now, where I see there being huge opportunity is with used vans – converting existing fleets to run on electrified powertrains. We know there’s appetite to electrify, but the cost and slowdown in operational efficiencies can be a real hurdle for SMEs. At BEDEO we’re not really selling a ‘new’ van – but we are selling a new, clean energy powertrain. However, right now, there’s no active grant for that and it’s a challenge to re-register that original diesel [van] with a new powertrain as a clean energy vehicle. To that point, I urge Government leaders to fully consider e-retrofitted vehicles as clean vehicles, allowing them access to zero-emission zones (ZEZ) and making them applicable to lower rate vehicle taxes.
Then we look at the change in legislative dates. We were all [businesses, fleets, suppliers and OEMs] aiming towards 2030 and then it’s turned to 2035. It’s confusing for fleets and it’s seeing quite a few suppliers unfortunately enter bankruptcy or having to scale down their business. For us, at BEDEO, we own our supply chain – through Protean Electric – and have weathered quite a few supply and demand and economic storms already, so I think we’re in a good place to press forward.
When I look at all of the potential hurdles, despite what I’ve said before, there are some major positives. Yes, we see companies forging ahead with their quest to decarbonise – either to save cost, work on a more efficient fleet, or for their own ESG status’ – and that’s where the majority of our client base comes from. However, we know that more clients and fleet owners would come forward and make the switch if it was even more cost effective to do so. What I’d like to see is grants like the plug-in van grant extended in time, increased back to the original value, and offered to retrofit / converter programmes like ours. Can we afford not to invest in retrofit? I’ll let you answer that at the end!
YOU MAKE A COMPELLING CASE THERE. SO, WITH THIS IN MIND, IF WE DON’T SEE INCENTIVES LIKE THE ONES YOU PROPOSE, DO YOU THINK THERE’LL BE A SLOWDOWN IN FLEETS SWITCHING FROM ICE TO EV?
I know we aren’t alone with the struggles of operating in the UK, as an engineering arm, technology supplier and business group focusing on electrification, but I don’t think it’ll stop fleets from transitioning to EV full stop – and it’s not what we’re seeing at BEDEO.
As I said before, the UK was a pioneer in incentivising and assisting with the switch to an electrified fleet. Other countries like France – which is a large market for us – have extensive grants for vans and embrace retrofit with specific converter rules, to make it easier to register vehicles. In my view we can learn a lot from France, and actually we can learn a lot from previous UK Government sentiment, like what we saw back in 2012 with the plug-in van and car grants…
Today, here in the UK, I think unless we have solid grants and incentives that are shown to invest in businesses and help them switch from diesel to an electrified powertrain, then the transition to decarbonisation is at risk of slowing down. That’s why we need to look at other areas to bridge the gap – like retrofit – and provide grants for this, not just favouring buying a brand-new van. Grants should be for fleets, not manufacturers… What fleets need is a solution that allows them to electrify without the upfront cost and time burden. I like to think we tick that box at BEDEO. I welcome you to come and try our Reborn Electric retrofits soon – our door is always open.
Thank you very much to Osman, and the team at BEDEO Group. Check out BEDEO’s solutions here: www.bedeo.tech and Protean Electric’s in-wheel motor technology here: www.proteanelectric.com
