New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
GE Capital takes on EV demonstrators
Two Azure Ford Transit Connect Electric vans have been bought by the Fleet Services division of GE Capital to offer fleets the opportunity to gain real-world experience and data of operating electric vans. They are being offered to the company’s UK customers and others on trial for periods ranging from one week to one month.Fitted with telematics equipment, as well as axle weight sensors, to ensure that a full range of operating data can be captured and analysed, fleets using the vehicles will also be asked to provide further specific information about what sort of duty cycles the electric vans are being for, as well as their general impressions.
“For the first time, practical electric vehicles are becoming available to fleets in the UK and there is a great deal of curiosity among our customer base and the fleet sector in general about how they will perform in real-world conditions,” said Gary Killeen, commercial director for Fleet Services at GE Capital. “This programme is designed to give our customers a taste of how electric vehicles may fit into their fleet while allowing us to gather a mass of information about everything from practical range to driver perception. We are really looking forward to seeing the results.”Electric vans, rather than cars, had been selected for the programme because it was believed that they were presently a more practical fleet proposition. Killeen explained: “Our projection is that the first sector of the fleet market that is likely to seriously consider widespread electric vehicle adoption are local delivery fleets where a range of about 80 miles is usually adequate and overnight charging can be done at the depot or the driver’s home.”
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