Burnett points out that 85% of the UK’s good are moved by road in commercial vehicles – trucks and vans. “The sector that is currently seeing the biggest growth is vans. Fuelled by an increase in home shopping, vans are able to provide a flexible service that may be less economical for an HGV.
He adds: “This year’s sell-out show clearly shows that the road freight sector, regardless of the size of vehicle, is working more closely than ever before. And for the rest of UK plc, that’s excellent news.”
One van manufacturer keen to gauge visitor opinion is Volkswagen, which is unveiling one of the smallest electric vans on the market as the first step in possibly adding it to its UK portfolio.
Called the e-load up, it’s based on VW’s smallest passenger car but has a load capacity of almost 1,000 litres and a 360kg payload. The turning circle is 9.8m and the vehicle is 3.6m long.
The AC motor produces 60kW (82bhp) and 210Nm of torque, with drive to the front wheels through a single speed gearbox. The van has a range of up to 99 miles on a single charge from its lithium battery pack.
VW’s e-load up will be sharing stand space with a larger electric van – the VW eCrafter, which was first shown at the IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hanover, last September.