Problems with electric van range, payload and charging means operators are predicting the number of alternatively-fuelled vehicles in their fleet will be less than thought, Arval research suggested.
The 2025 Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer showed that, when asked to give a percentage for the battery electric vans on their fleet in 2028, the response was 14%.
This compared to 15% in 2024 and 18% in 2023.
Arval said there were similar results for plug-in hybrid vans (PHEV) and for the petrol and diesel vehicles the figure rose significantly, to 71% from 62% in 2023.
John Peters, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said “operational compromises” created by infrastructure, payload and battery power issues were proving difficult for companies to resolve and that meant they were unconvinced about the potential for adoption.
“This question is one of the most interesting in the Arval Mobility Observatory Barometer, looking at how van fleets expect the fuel mix of their fleets to change within the next three years,” he said.
“Unavoidably, the key finding here is a limited expectation that adoption of battery, PHEV and hydrogen vans will noticeably rise.
“In fact, there is a general feeling that the percentage of traditional diesel and petrol vehicles will increase instead.”
However, Peters added: “It remains our belief that these predictions are overly pessimistic and that use of both electric and PHEV vans will rise substantially by the end of the decade.”
