Levi Roots on Electric Avenue
Electric Avenue in Brixton, South London is one of the most famous streets in the UK and was the first market street in the UK to be lit with electric streetlights. Paying homage to the street’s electrifying history and in time for the busiest season for traders, Ford is helping local businesses on their electrification journey by loaning them an E-Transit van. The wider community of traders will have the chance to experience the power of the E-Transit with a loaner van that can be reserved by any local businesses for their commercial vehicle needs through 2023.
Supporting the initiative is Levi Roots, Brixton local and Electric Avenue regular, who is embarking on his own journey to become more sustainable and decarbonise his business logistics.
Leading the way at Electric Avenue are two traders Healthy Eaters and K & N Fresh Meat Ltd, who alongside Levi Roots will be encouraging the wider community to make the most of the legacy Ford E-Transit community vehicle and take part in test drives offered to the traders at the market this week. They are rallying their trading community to help make Electric Avenue fully electric once again, with dreams of all traders driving electric vehicles by 2035, ahead of the ban.
The initiative comes as Ford has commissioned research revealing that only half (51%) of van drivers across the UK think the current charging infrastructure is not ready to support electric commercial vehicles – one of the biggest drawbacks to EV adoption. But there is enthusiasm to make the move, with a further 56% of those surveyed agreeing that their business productivity could be improved by an electric van, thanks to lower running costs, features such as the ability to keep an eye on any required maintenance on vehicles (18%) and charge during down time at home (12%).
Wider barriers to adoption include:
More than three quarters of van-driving business owners, traders, and employees believe they would have difficulty finding a parking space, loading bay or a depot where they could charge
29% believe the lack of appropriate vehicle charging stations has a negative impact on business productivity and profitability
Charging speed is also another barrier to entry, with 30% of van drivers believing there aren’t enough fast-charging options available
Ford is calling on the UK government and local councils to increase their spending on electric vehicle infrastructure, as more businesses and consumers make the switch ahead of the ban on new ICE engine vehicles in 2035. Supporting SMEs on the journey towards an electric future is not only important for the environment, but also for the economy, with small businesses contributing £2 trillion in turnover and employing 44% of the British workforce.
“Ford has been the UK’s market leader in the light commercial vehicle space for 56 years, supporting large businesses on a national scale as well as the small and medium-size businesses making up the fabric of our society – including our nation’s beloved high street traders”, said Mandy Dean, Commercial Vehicle Director, Ford of Britain.
“Many of these local businesses have been serving customers for decades, spanning multiple generations, and probably with the support of a Transit in the background. It is vital that these businesses continue to thrive as we shift towards an all-electric future together – we’re ready to support them every step of the way and are calling on councils and governments to get behind the switch too.”
On the partnership Levi Roots, Founder and CEO, mentioned: “As my business continues to grow, I’m always looking for ways to streamline my logistics and keep my business sustainable. The Ford Transit van has been the backbone of market traders for decades, and now the E-Transit has allowed me to reduce my impact on the environment even more. The tools that Ford Pro can offer businesses like mine will really help us boom as consumers become more environmentally conscious.”
