Hull-based Head-on Electrical has started work on switching its entire van fleet to battery electric vehicles.
The contractor operates 12 vans, used by its electricians to take on assignments for a wide range of commercial and domestic clients, and has deployed a Mercedes-Benz eVito electric van, which it says is the “first of many”.
The firm, established in 2009 by brothers Tony and James Fethon, employs a team of 35 colleagues and prides itself on being “big enough to cope, small enough to care”.
Tony Fethon said: “Given that an increasing amount of our work is in the provision of charging infrastructure to help customers switch over to electric vehicles, it makes obvious sense for us to be running battery-powered vans on our own fleet.”
Its inaugural eVito is already proving to be a great mobile advertisement for the company, as well as a “highly effective and efficient performer”.
Tony added: “Moving to electric transportation will be a major step forward in our strategic goal to reduce the impact of our activities on the local environment as much as possible and make the company as sustainable as it can be – we see this as part of our responsibility to care for the community in which we all live and work.”
The L2 long-bodied eVito was actually a used vehicle – albeit one with just 500 miles on the clock and in showroom condition.
“The availability of a used model made this green option even more accessible,” added Tony.
“Like any operator we’re keen to keep our total cost of vehicle operation as low as possible. The two-year ServiceCare package that we opted to buy upfront means running costs will be easily predictable, and our own charging point supported by a solar panel helps to minimise topping-up costs – all of which means the eVito makes financial as well as environmental sense. Now we’re looking forward to adding more, as soon as possible.”
The vehicle is also proving popular with senior electrician Paul Sinclair.
“Our local retailer gave me a thorough introduction to all the controls and functions, and it felt like second nature in no time at all. Now I love driving the eVito – it’s much smoother and quieter than a diesel van, and with full torque available from a standstill the performance feels effortless,” he observed.
