White Van Man Turns Green with Modec

Modec launched their electric powered van to the public in March, since then they have notched up over 130 sales. Available in three variations from bare chassis cabs (£25,000), to flat bed and tipper variants (around £27,000) to fully built up 12m³ box vans (£30,000). Demand has been so high that you will need to wait in excess of eight weeks to get your hands on one.

The vans have up to a 100 mile range, which easily exceeds the 62 miles travelled by the average van in the UK, only this vehicle emits zero emissions (other than that from electricity generation). This means that the Modec is exempt from road tax, the congestion charge, and an operators license fee, plus you can also charge your Modec for free at many of the recharge stations in London. Not only is the Modec environmentally friendly during its life it is also made from 90% materials which in the end can be easily recycled.

The operating cost of the van is only about three pence per mile (excluding the battery charge), and can carry two tonnes of payload at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour.

The business world has been impressed by the potential of the vehicles with Tesco ordering 15 Modec for their home delivery services at Tesco’s new environmental store in Shrewsbury and at various locations in London. With other supermarket chains in talks with Modec keen to follow Tesco's lead, we could certainly be seeing more of these vehicles on the roads in the next few years.

Watch David Cameron's views on the Modec after a visit to the Modec factory in Coventry.

You can see this and many other eco-friendly vehicles at the June 5th Eco-Rally, when environmentally friendly vehicles will battle it out in a 52 mile drive from Brighton to London. The event will also offer accompanying free displays at the Science Museum and Trafalgar Square. You can track the eco-rally online at the Revolve website or on the big screens in Trafalgar Square.