DHL’s Fleet Director says electric vans would worsen London congestion

Richard Crook, Fleet Director for delivery company DHL, spoke on the subject of electric vans at the London Transport Committee meeting this week. He claims that introducing electric vans would worsen congestion in the London area.

Crook cited the inefficiency and impracticality of electric vehicles, which would cost two and a half times as much to operate as diesel vans. They would also require twice as many drivers per fleet. These factors in conjunction would lead to more congestion on the roads.

Crook also wants to raise the maximum gross weight limit of vans permitted to be driven without a HGV driver’s license from 3.5 tonnes to 4.0 tonnes—again reasoning that a lower limit means a greater number of vans.

Congestion has been a major problem in London, where congestion charges were introduced in certain zones over a decade ago in order to curb the volume of traffic.

(Source: Business Car)