Scarcity of charging infrastructure “holding back” electric LCV adoption

A whitepaper released by Dawsongroup vans has revealed a disconnect between perceived readiness and actual implementation of electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs), largely due to the lack of availability of charging infrastructure.

‘Charging Ahead’, based on the results of the company’s EV Readiness survey of fleet operators across the UK shows that 53% of respondents said their premises are suitable for EV charging infrastructure but only 27% have chargers installed on site, while 47% remain unsure of their suitability.

Driving range is the most important factor in the selection of EVs (42%), particularly for micro fleets running between one and 10 vehicles, as a single van failing throws the day’s operations into disarray.

Charging time was highlighted as a challenge, as commercial vans run to tight schedules and cannot afford slow charging. Faster charging infrastructure, therefore, is key to keeping vehicles on the roads.

Despite 41% of fleets parking vehicles at their business premises overnight, on-site charging adoption remains low. The whitepaper suggests that this is due to businesses underestimating what installation involves.

Simon Ridley, Managing Director at Dawsongroup vans said: “Many businesses underestimate the complexity of installation, from assessing electrical capacity to managing costs and planning for future scalability. It’s not just about buying chargers, it’s about integrating them into the business model.”

Lamech Solomon, Head of Decarbonisation at Logistics UK commented: “The findings of this whitepaper show how important charging infrastructure, speed and installation are to fleet operators, who cannot afford disruption to their day-to-day operations.

“Greater integration of charging infrastructure, whether that’s through public chargepoints or installing them on site at an operator’s depot, will significantly help adoption.”

The whitepaper recommends taking a practical, phased approach, by starting with temporary or mobile charging solutions and carrying out site assessments to understand power availability and build infrastructure that can grow with the fleet.