London and Hertfordshire-based removals company JamVans is progressing on its road to zero emissions by investing in its first fully electric vehicle.
The 30-strong team – that carries out over 1,000 moves a year - needed a fully electric car that could meet the requirements of their flourishing business and at the same time reduce the company’s impact on the environment. Now with their new Renault Zoe, surveyors can continue at the same efficiency as before while eliminating their emissions and reducing running costs by an estimated £6,000 a year.
JamVans’ Directors, Justin Yates and Matt Williams, feel a great responsibility to tackle environmental issues.
"We've grown up with documentaries and films like Blue Planet and An Inconvenient Truth and as owner-managers of a removals company, where we have to rely on vans and cars, we know that people in our position need to make a real difference,” said Justin. “This is a big step for us but it's one of many to come."
Having made many other changes to its environmental impact, such as running a modern fleet of vans with Euro 6 engines, crushing and recycling used cardboard and installing eco-friendly air conditioning and heating in its premises, the company's next step is to invest in electric vans to deal with the more physical side of removals. However, as Matt Williams explained, electric vans still don’t have enough range to be viable.
"We really want to be as environmentally efficient as we can be and use electric vans as well, but the mileage range isn't high enough for us to run the business as usual. Hopefully in the next few years we can commit to electric vans once the technology improves."
The new Renault Zoe is most often driven by Surveyor Shane Alves. “The car is incredibly quiet and smooth to drive,” he said. “It’s very relaxing if you've had a busy day. Performance-wise the car is very adequate and happy driving back up the A1. It drives just the same as any petrol car of its size.”
Photo: JamVans’ Surveyor Shane Alves with the new electric Renault Zoe