Vauxhall is to supply Mitie, a UK facilities management and professional services company, with 655 new all-electric Vivaro-e vans. The first vehicle has already been delivered, taking the number of electric vehicles (EVs) in Mitie’s fleet to the 1,000 mark.

This latest van will be used by a Mitie frontline engineer and has been specially fitted out to ensure it can carry all the equipment needed while minimising weight, to help maximise the battery’s range.

While Mitie began its ‘electric vehicle transition’ in mid-2019, this was with a focus on cars and small vans, as at the time there was no viable electric alternative for its large diesel vans with an adequate range to manage the heavy load often carried by mobile engineering teams.

Mitie has now ordered the 75kWh battery vans with a mix of standard L1 and long L2 wheelbase versions. Capable of up to 205 miles from a single charge, these Vivaro-e vans support up to 100kW rapid charging with an 80% charge taking just 45min.

Simon King, Mitie’s director of ‘sustainability and social value’, said: “When we began our EV journey 18 months ago we thought switching our big vans would be one of our biggest challenges. However, with Vauxhall helping us overcome this hurdle, we are very pleased to be marking our milestone 1,000th zero-emission vehicle with the delivery of this Vivaro-e.

“With over 600 more set to join our fleet this year, we are making great progress towards our target of 2,021 EVs in 2021 and helping even more Mitie fleet drivers switch to electric.”

Paul Willcox, Vauxhall’s managing director, said: “Congratulations to Mitie on passing one thousand electric vehicles on its fleet and for being at the forefront of driving Britain to a more sustainable future.

“At Vauxhall we are proud that they have chosen our award-winning, all-electric Vivaro-e van, and joined a growing number of pioneering firms in Britain who want to have no compromise in the capability of their vehicle fleet but also want to improve their environmental impact and lower their running costs.”