{"id":352831,"date":"2024-11-29T17:50:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T16:50:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=352831"},"modified":"2024-11-29T17:50:59","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T16:50:59","slug":"vauxhalls-luton-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=352831","title":{"rendered":"Vauxhall\u2019s Luton Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Paul Homewood<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bit more detail on Vauxhall\u2019s decision to close their Luton factory, which only makes vans:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.vauxhall.co.uk\/vans\/all-new-vivaro\/electric.html<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The above, which still appears on their website, confirmed their original plan to make Vivaro electric vans at Luton, alongside diesel vans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what has changed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to SMMT data<\/a>, 5367 electric Vauxhall vans were registered in the year to June 2024. Stellantis also say they sold 34632 vans in total in the UK. Although the periods overlap, this would imply an electric ratio of about 15%, well above this year\u2019s LEV mandate of 10%:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.media.stellantis.com\/uk-en\/vauxhall\/press\/vauxhall-is-the-uk-s-best-selling-electric-van-manufacturer-for-third-year-in-a-row<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the face of it then, Vauxhall won\u2019t have to pay any fines. However the real problem seems to be that the mandate will rapidly rise from next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.fleetnews.co.uk\/news\/manufacturer-news\/2023\/09\/21\/zev-mandate-electric-vehicle-targets-to-remain-for-carmakers<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It would appear that Vauxhall don\u2019t believe they can hit these targets going forward, and it is easy to see why. Across the market as a whole, electric vans have only penetrated 5.6% this year, even less than last:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.smmt.co.uk\/vehicle-data\/lcv-registrations\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And why, other than a few niche applications, would any business buy one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vivaro Diesel as an OTR price of \u00a335010, but the electric is priced at \u00a351715.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most vans tend to do high mileage, so after three or four years, the electric will be worthless on the secondhand market, unlike the diesel which will probably be worth a grand or two:<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The electric has a claimed range of 215 miles, but in the real world, with a full load, will probably struggle to do 100 miles. This immediately rules it out for many businesses. I know our van at work would occasionally do more than that in a day. Its typical run was around South Yorkshire, and that could easily entail at least 70 or 80 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An electric van will simple not have the same productivity as a diesel for most applications. In short, while a diesel might do 100 drops a day, and electric might only manage 50. You would therefore need twice as many vans and drivers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there is the issue of where and how you recharge overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When all things are considered, businesses know what is best for them. And so far they have made it clear that they won\u2019t buy electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us back to Vauxhall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet a target of 46% electric in four years time, they must either sell a lot more electric vans, or sell fewer diesel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if they sell fewer diesels, that leaves Luton, which makes all the diesel Vivaros, without enough work to be viable. Ellesmere Port, which only makes electric, will take over Luton\u2019s existing electric van work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate irony here is that imports of vans and cars are not subject to the ZEV mandate. So Stellantis can instead push French made Citroen vans into the UK market and avoid fines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Vauxhall blurb notes, they are the only van brand made in the UK. Luton\u2019s departure from the scene will simply open the door to vans like the Ford Transit, which is made in Spain and Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I can confidently predict that next year, electric van sales will still be in the doldrums, despite Ed Miliband\u2019s crazed policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOOTNOTE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ford have a range calculator for the Transit, which reduces range to just 91 miles in cold conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A bit more detail on Vauxhall\u2019s decision to close their Luton factory, which only makes vans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":352845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691831743,691831741,691831744,691821421,691831742,691831745],"class_list":["post-352831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-diesel-vans","tag-luton-factory","tag-price","tag-vauxhall","tag-vivaro-electric-vans","tag-zev-mandate","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Vauxhalls-Luton-Dilemma.jpg?fit=1280%2C847&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1tMP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":352561,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=352561","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":0},"title":"ZEV Mandates Force Closure of Vauxhall\u2019s Luton\u00a0Plant","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/27\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Vauxhall is planning to shut its Luton van-making factory in a move that puts 1,100 jobs at risk, as\u00a0net zero rules force it to curtail sales of petrol vehicles.","rel":"","context":"In \"Automotive industry\"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive industry","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=automotive-industry"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/091f497400f8a620f22cc1426d19b2c9e.jpg?fit=1200%2C752&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/091f497400f8a620f22cc1426d19b2c9e.jpg?fit=1200%2C752&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/091f497400f8a620f22cc1426d19b2c9e.jpg?fit=1200%2C752&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/091f497400f8a620f22cc1426d19b2c9e.jpg?fit=1200%2C752&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/091f497400f8a620f22cc1426d19b2c9e.jpg?fit=1200%2C752&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":334756,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=334756","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":1},"title":"Vauxhall owner threatens to close UK car\u00a0factories","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/27\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This is not sustainable in the long run, and the likes of Vauxhall would quickly run out of cash to do so. And it would make the problem doubly worse next year \u2013 not only would they face even tougher targets next year, but they would start the year with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"electric vehicle (EV)\"","block_context":{"text":"electric vehicle (EV)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electric-vehicle-ev"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0939461c-f486-11ed-97af-27f55025e763.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0939461c-f486-11ed-97af-27f55025e763.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0939461c-f486-11ed-97af-27f55025e763.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0939461c-f486-11ed-97af-27f55025e763.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/0939461c-f486-11ed-97af-27f55025e763.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":353015,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=353015","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":2},"title":"Britain has a choice: amend the electric car mandate or let the industry go bust","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The UK\u2019s net zero policies are now costing serious jobs \u2013 and threatening entire regional economies.","rel":"","context":"In \"Automotive industry\"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive industry","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=automotive-industry"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/020190801092357-shutterstock-1137105356.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/020190801092357-shutterstock-1137105356.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/020190801092357-shutterstock-1137105356.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/020190801092357-shutterstock-1137105356.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/020190801092357-shutterstock-1137105356.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":352674,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=352674","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":3},"title":"Labour poised to water down electric car rules amid crisis in\u00a0industry","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/28\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Labour is poised to water down electric vehicle (EV) rules amid a mounting crisis in the industry over the pace of the\u00a0transition away from petrol and diesel cars.","rel":"","context":"In \"Automotive industry\"","block_context":{"text":"Automotive industry","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=automotive-industry"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Jonathan-Reynolds-the-Business-Secretary.jpg?fit=1200%2C556&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Jonathan-Reynolds-the-Business-Secretary.jpg?fit=1200%2C556&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Jonathan-Reynolds-the-Business-Secretary.jpg?fit=1200%2C556&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Jonathan-Reynolds-the-Business-Secretary.jpg?fit=1200%2C556&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0-Jonathan-Reynolds-the-Business-Secretary.jpg?fit=1200%2C556&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":390420,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=390420","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":4},"title":"Vauxhall owner slumps to \u00a32bn loss after botched bet on hydrogen","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/23\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Stellantis blames restructuring costs and US tariffs for slip into red","rel":"","context":"In \"electric cars (EVs)\"","block_context":{"text":"electric cars (EVs)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=electric-cars-evs"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQOUXaVrgxt3Vo3rQNbhbxeSPtGoL6sTsVrzMb-9z08LTJH8fiGC9wHle1GIWqyR8YOAI1weA0G-LbwcQ3-5o_0kxyswJEmCvalw3hI9NE3aypzYCwIKnzUEQJzQ5VoFiMxdyVgNVySdkeOUWwDfTSRw88wUmw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQOUXaVrgxt3Vo3rQNbhbxeSPtGoL6sTsVrzMb-9z08LTJH8fiGC9wHle1GIWqyR8YOAI1weA0G-LbwcQ3-5o_0kxyswJEmCvalw3hI9NE3aypzYCwIKnzUEQJzQ5VoFiMxdyVgNVySdkeOUWwDfTSRw88wUmw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQOUXaVrgxt3Vo3rQNbhbxeSPtGoL6sTsVrzMb-9z08LTJH8fiGC9wHle1GIWqyR8YOAI1weA0G-LbwcQ3-5o_0kxyswJEmCvalw3hI9NE3aypzYCwIKnzUEQJzQ5VoFiMxdyVgNVySdkeOUWwDfTSRw88wUmw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQOUXaVrgxt3Vo3rQNbhbxeSPtGoL6sTsVrzMb-9z08LTJH8fiGC9wHle1GIWqyR8YOAI1weA0G-LbwcQ3-5o_0kxyswJEmCvalw3hI9NE3aypzYCwIKnzUEQJzQ5VoFiMxdyVgNVySdkeOUWwDfTSRw88wUmw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0AQOUXaVrgxt3Vo3rQNbhbxeSPtGoL6sTsVrzMb-9z08LTJH8fiGC9wHle1GIWqyR8YOAI1weA0G-LbwcQ3-5o_0kxyswJEmCvalw3hI9NE3aypzYCwIKnzUEQJzQ5VoFiMxdyVgNVySdkeOUWwDfTSRw88wUmw-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":350030,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=350030","url_meta":{"origin":352831,"position":5},"title":"Vauxhall Owner Suffers Sales Plunge Amid EV Slowdown","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/03\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Vauxhall owner Stellantis\u2019s sales have plunged by more than a quarter amid production issues and an electric vehicle slowdown in Europe.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Screenshot-2024-11-01-111403.jpeg?fit=1009%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Screenshot-2024-11-01-111403.jpeg?fit=1009%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Screenshot-2024-11-01-111403.jpeg?fit=1009%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/0Screenshot-2024-11-01-111403.jpeg?fit=1009%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=352831"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352831\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352846,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352831\/revisions\/352846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/352845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=352831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=352831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=352831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}