commercial vehicle insurance « VanQuoteDirect

Posts Tagged ‘commercial vehicle insurance’

Hydrogen Fuels Could be a Success for the UK

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Hydrogen powered vehicles are now looking increasingly likely, especially in the commercial vehicle sector. Hydrogen commercial vehicles would slash pollution and emissions by an incredible amount and I personally think this could be by far and away the best alternative fuel yet!

Hydrogen Project

The government has launched a new project which is intended to assess the potential of hydrogen as a fuel source, and if the project emerges to be a success then a finished hydrogen fuel product could be rolled out for 2014 onwards, and we will then quickly see more and more hydrogen powered vans on our streets amongst other hydrogen powered vehicles.

Imagine a hydrogen powered bus, for example. If one in five buses in London alone were powered by hydrogen then emissions would be reduced massively which would be fantastic news for the environment of course.

Analysis and Assessment

The government’s project is also intended to analyse the viability of developing sufficient infrastructure in order to incorporate refuelling points for hydrogen powered vehicles and to assess the economic benefits the country on the whole could gain from using the gas as an alternative fuel. It could, for a start, lower commercial vehicle insurance quotes.

Mark Prisk, Business Minister, has been commenting that the UK could become a key market for low-carbon vehicles, and he was quoted saying: “Hydrogen vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future. It is vitally important that we identify what is required to make these cars a realistic proposition for UK consumers.” The difficulty it would seem is not in harnessing the fuel, but perhaps in building the correct facilities for it to be distributed nationwide.

Backing for the Project

Meanwhile, the initiative to move to commercial hydrogen vehicles has been backed by a number of gas, infrastructure and utility companies in the UK. The new initiative to launch hydrogen vehicles has been named UKH2Mobility and will also research how jobs can be created by the move into hydrogen fuels. Jerry Hardcastle, Head of Design at Nissan, has been explaining: “Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles…could represent a large segment of the UK market in the coming years.” It would indeed be brilliant if thousands of jobs were created by the new plans, especially at a time when unemployment has been on the rise!

Hydrogen fuels, it seems, will not only be a great achievement for the environment, but for the UK economy too!

Tags: Alternative Fuels, commercial vehicle insurance, Government, Hydrogen Fuel
Posted in Alternative Fuel, commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

London Emission Rules Hit Drivers

Friday, January 13th, 2012

Commercial vehicles that were registered before October 2006, including motor caravans, lorries, horseboxes and vans will be effected by the changes to the London emission rules, which means they have to pay a fee of £100 per day to drive in Greater London, any time of the day or evening.

All these vehicles will have to fit filters that can cost up to £3,500 as well as undergoing a £32 annual inspection by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, not forgetting yearly MOT checks and the cost of commercial vehicle insurance and fuel.

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras covering the whole of Greater London will help enforce the low emission zone.

The cameras will identify the vehicles by cross checking with the VOSA database and confirm whether a filter has been fitted. If the daily charge has not been paid then drivers will face a £500 fine.

Improving the Air

The new low emission plans hope to improve air quality in Greater London.

Even though the plans are being supported by environmentalists, there are concerns among small businesses and voluntary groups.

Many sports clubs and church groups around London rely on minibuses, for example the London Football Association.

A spokesman said, “Transport is already one of the greatest obstacles to participation particularly in London and the low emission law will create an even bigger challenge,”

“We are working hard with teams and leagues across London to try and find ways around this, but in the current economic climate this is and will prove to be a massive struggle.”

The senior development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, Matthew Jaffa, warned the changes will have a big impact.

“Some of our members are still unsure of the changes. Many feel that their vehicles do comply with the standards but are still being told to retrofit the filters.

“It will also affect small businesses in Kent and Essex. Many have said that they will no longer be able to service London.

“In the year of the Olympics London is supposed to be open for businesses, but the opposite seems to be the case.”

The Mayor’s Director for the Environment, Kulveer Ranger, defended the zone. He said, “The Mayor wants to deliver cleaner air for London to tackle the legacy he inherited, which poses a serious health threat to many especially the most vulnerable in our city,

“The changes to the Low Emission Zone standards will broadly double the impact of the existing scheme. They will be coupled with an unprecedented wider package of measures set to be implemented at this time to improve the capital’s air quality.

“In a historic year for this city, when the eye’s of the world are focused on London, it is right that we are demanding the highest environmental standards and a higher quality of life for Londoners.”

Transport for London said that if drivers could prove that they had ordered the necessary filtering equipment before 3rd January, they would not be penalised.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Filters, London, London low emissions zone, Pollution, van drivers
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Mini to Move into Commercial Vehicle Sector

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

It would seem that Mini is set to enter the commercial vehicle market with their compact Mini Cargo panel van offering. On the face of it the Cargo will basically be a Mini Clubman with the rear seats removed and a flat rear deck in place instead. The rear windows will also be replaced by sheet metal.

Mini’s creators, BMW, are recycling a classic idea from the 1960s when Leyland built a panel van version of the Traveller. Meanwhile, Fiat is also planning to convert their hugely popular 500 into a panel van.

Mini’s Competition

Mini’s panel van is set to launch at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and is, according to Mini, aimed at being a true, tough, little van designed to haul around heavy loads.

They have targeted competition from the Ford Transit Connect, the Citroen Berlingo, the VW Caddy and the Fiat Doblo. These small vans are proven in Europe and the UK to be very popular as compact mobility is a high priority for many, and so Mini are expecting high volumes of sales for their Cargo panel van.

Mini Cargo will be No Slouch!

The Mini Cargo is to be powered by a 1.6 litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, which is the same engine that can be found in the current Mini Cooper D, and is therefore no slouch! The Mini is therefore also aimed at being reliable, and fuel efficient.

The panel van will be fitted with a sporty six speed transmission, whilst Mini has also hinted that an automatic 2.0 litre petrol version of the Cargo is in the pipeline. I don’t know about you, but I would certainly prefer the petrol version!

History Repeating Itself

Full details are yet to be released, and with the Geneva Motor Show beginning on 8th March, those looking for a new compact van may well wait with baited breath.

When insuring your new Mini Cargo, you will of course need a commercial vehicle insurance quote rather than the standard car insurance that the other Mini vehicles will need.

It almost seems odd referring to a Mini as a commercial vehicle, but the Austin Mini Van of course ran from 1960 to 1982, and so Mini is certainly not a newcomer to the commercial vehicle market. History is once again repeating itself.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, commercial vehicles, light commercial vehicles, Mini, Mini Cargo, Panel Van
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | 1 Comment »

Security Vans to be “Pimped” with Televisions

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

It has been announced by security firm, G4S, that future prison vans are to come equipped with televisions and DVD players. This is some surprising news that is, frankly, a little bewildering at first.

Reasons for the Scheme

The flat-screen televisions are however being introduced as part of a cunning plan to reduce the anxiety of the prisoners as they are driven between jails or to court. These are therefore no ordinary commercial vehicles, and they probably do not even come with ordinary, run of the mill, commercial vehicle insurance.

G4S have also fitted the televisions and DVD systems in an attempt to, in the long run, reduce the cost of repairing the interiors of the vehicles which are often damaged by violent, fired-up inmates.

The introduction of the technologies will also, hopefully, reduce the amount of prisoners who decide to self harm in the back of the security vans.

David Denney, G4S Director, has been explaining: “Prisoners sometimes have to be transported long distances. Many prisoners suffer from a variety of mental illnesses and disabilities including anxiety and claustrophobia. These conditions have been considered when designing our fleet of vehicles.”

Criticism

So far they are only planning to install the televisions and DVD players in two vehicles in Scotland. However, inevitably, critics have already attacked the proposed scheme.

Labour justice spokesman, Lewis Macdonald, has been quoted saying: “People will be asking whether it is the best use of public money to let prisoners watch a movie when they are going to court to be tried for serious crimes.” When put like that, it does sound a little ridiculous.

Furthermore, some charities have condemned the plan as “outrageous” and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

However, when considering the reasons giving above, it is an understandable scheme, and since it is only to be trialled in two vehicles, I think it will be interesting to see if it actually works. If it genuinely saves money in the long run as a result of a reduced amount of repairs needing to be made, which can be expensive, and it calms prisoners enabling them to remain level headed, then I say give it a chance.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, G4S, Security Vans, Van Insurance
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Van Prices Rising

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Manheim Remarketing has been explaining that the average wholesale used van value has increased by 2.6% from November 2010 to November 2011. This increase comes at a time when van sales have indeed been rising, and with it, now it has become evidential that the price has also increased.

Popularity Increasing

Commercial vehicles are proving more and more popular, and as we suggested in a previous blog post, that hopefully means more businesses are now making use of vans, which can only be positive at a time when the economy is in such a difficult state.

Director of Commercial Vehicles, at Manheim Remarketing, James Davis, has been quoted saying: “I have been saying for some time that the wholesale van market is robust and bucking the economic trends and here is further proof.” Yes indeed, and it is great news!

He went on to add: “No doubt the wholesale market is in its usual period of festive seasonality but it has been encouraging to see auction halls and Simulcast screens busy with active buyers throughout the country; albeit they are selective on high mileage, damaged and duplicate vehicles.”

Furthermore he stated: “The seasonal uplift for 4x4s is strong on the back of predictions of a long white winter ahead. We have not seen the usual influx of van de-fleet volume in Q4 so we should see a very brisk and buoyant January with conversion rates soaring and a very healthy start to the 2012 wholesale van market.” This all sounds very positive, and it is apparent that many families have been preparing for the winter by buying 4x4s in favour of smaller cars.

Bag a Bargain

In years gone by, the majority of buyers have chosen to wait until the New Year in order to purchase the van they want, whereas now it seems that this year it has been the exact opposite with higher numbers of people buying before the close of the year.

So during the festive and New Year period, commercial vehicle insurance companies are being kept very busy! Perhaps those hurrying to buy vans now are hoping to bag a bargain while they can, especially if prices for second hand commercial vans continue to rise!

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, sales figures, second hand vans, van sales
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Electric Transit Connect

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

On Monday we blogged about the news that the much loved, and incredibly successful, Ford Transit van was going to be built in the US as of 2013 onwards, and now, today, we bring you the news that the green Transit is to be updated for 2012. Yes that’s right, the new all electric Ford Transit is on the horizon.

The Transit Connect is primarily aimed at fleet owners who want to save on fuel and maintenance costs, and Torque News has been discussing the van after performing a road test.

No Longer a Pipedream

The original electric van was a very interesting step by Ford in their bid to become an environmentally friendly manufacturer, much like many other vehicle manufacturers these days.

The 2012 Connect will have an electric drive train, which has been designed by Azure Dynamics, which is a company with a rich history in electric vehicle design that dates back to the early 90s; a time when electric cars were a mere pipedream for a futuristic world. We are now, it seems, living in that futuristic world and electric cars are no longer a pipedream, but a reality.

Here Come the Stats

The Connect will come fitted with a Siemens AC motor, an AC controller, and a battery pack from Johnson Controls. The battery pack, Azure Dynamics has claimed, will achieve a range of 60-80 miles, which isn’t bad at all! This will however depend on how heavy the vehicle is at the time.

The commercial vehicle will take around 6-8 hours to charge and will reach 75 mph, which is more than enough when you consider that this particular van will be used in towns and cities by those who have larger fleets of vans. Of course, whilst saving owners money on their fuel, the van is also very likely to have a lower commercial vehicle insurance premium.

Alternative Fuels

With alternative fuels being developed in order to one day replace petrol and diesel it is great to see the big players focusing on producing electric vehicles alongside their petrol and diesel alternatives. Or is it? Electric vehicles do consume a huge amount of energy when being built. They also consume a huge amount of electricity once on the road, and ultimately a huge proportion of electricity is produced through the burning of fossil fuels, which causes a vast amount of pollution, and is the very resource that is running out resulting in the search for alternative fuels. Perhaps electric cars are not such a great alternative after all?

It’s certainly an interesting issue, and it would be great to hear your thoughts on it.

Tags: Alternative Fuels, commercial vehicle insurance, Diesel, electric Vans, Ford, Ford Transit, Petrol
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | 2 Comments »

Thugs Must be Caught

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Scotland’s busiest motorway, the M8, has seen numerous dangerous incidents recently, the latest of which was when mindless thugs threw a block of ice from a bridge which smashed the windscreen of a van.

Luckily the driver was okay, and his commercial vehicle insurance should cover the incident, however he was, understandably, shook up; the incident could have been lethal for the van driver and for numerous other motorists on the busy motorway at the time.

Other Incidents

Just 48 hours earlier, another motorist on the M8 escaped serious injuries when a large brick was thrown from the very same bridge. The brick hit the motorist’s roof, but luckily did not cause any harm to the driver, apart from the shock of course.

Simon Bradshaw, an inspector, has been quoted saying: “By compromising the vision of one driver, the lives of everyone on that road are put in danger. Both these incidents could have caused multiple fatalities.”

It is thought that the attacks mimicked incidents that happened just a few days before when thugs decided to throw concrete blocks on to two cars on the A12 in Essex. This incident left one female driver seriously injured and another in a state of trauma. A senior officer has said: “We can’t rule out that there was a copycat element to this.”

Meanwhile, Inspector Bradshaw commented: “This type of incident has been a problem off and on for a while.” He has also appealed for any witnesses.

Reward Incentive

Police are treating the incidents as attempted murder and the charity, Crimestoppers, have offered a £3000 reward for anyone to catch the offenders.

It is absolutely shameful and appalling that people could be so thoughtless to choose to hurl ice and bricks from bridges towards vehicles travelling at 70mph. These mindless thugs need to be caught and dealt with appropriately. This sort of thing simply cannot happen again!

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Crime, Crimestoppers, van drivers
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

VW Christmas Ad Campaign

Monday, December 5th, 2011

It has recently been announced that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has launched a Christmas themed advertising campaign in order to highlight its “Christmas presents”.

The advertising campaign will be broadcast across our airwaves and includes two radio adverts entitled “Carol” and “Reindeer”. The adverts feature the voice of actor Philip Glenister and are supported by an online and press advert that can be unwrapped in order to reveal a Volkswagen Caddy. Volkswagen advertising campaigns are always creative and original, most of the time they are pretty amusing as well, and so we anticipate much the same with this one.

“Original” Adverts

An example of a VW advert that was both creative and original would the tango dancing advert for the Polo earlier this year as it raised eyebrows due to the fact that upon viewing it for the first time you could never have guessed it was an advert for a car. The first time I saw it I thought it was an advert for a new perfume or aftershave. If you had told me before hand that it was for a VW Polo, I simply would not have believed you.

Mark Hopkins, Head of Marketing for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, has been quoted saying, with regard to the new commercial vehicle advertising campaign: “To highlight that our great commercial vehicles also make great commercial sense, we thought we’d have some fun with a special Christmas campaign about some of our most competitive finance offers.”

He added: “We’re sure that van buyers taking advantage of this offer will definitely have a very happy new year.”

Great Value

In recent times it has become apparent that VW have been keen to emphasise the great value of their products and so it seems only right that they should jump on the Christmas bandwagon this year.

Commercial vehicle insurance providers will also welcome the campaign from VW as more sales for VW commercial vans will mean further insurance policies will be taken out in the New Year.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, VW Adverts, VW Christmas Adverts, VW Commercial Vehicles
Posted in commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Renault hope to stay ahead of their competitors

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Up until now it has been very difficult for manufacturers to persuade firms to change over to electric light commercial vehicles. This has been down to a combination of high prices, unknown range and a lack of information about what predicted residual values will be.

Kangoo ZE ready to lead from the front

The economic pendulum may well be about to change in favour of zero emission commercial vans after the successful launch of the Renault Kangoo ZE. Renault have not just priced the van at under half the cost of their nearest rival, but they have also launched a new strategy that they firmly believe will persuade the United Kingdom’s fleet operators that electric vans are at least worth trying before dismissing them. Renault decided two years ago that they wanted to be the world leader in electric vehicles, in the same way that Toyota did with their impressive hybrid technology they anticipate UK companies to take out fleet insurance on the Kangoo ZE in their droves.

Innovative pricing structure will attract custom

Renault feel that after 9,000 miles each year their van will be much cheaper to run than a diesel equivalent and at the forefront of their strategy is a unique pricing structure. Some electric vans are sold outright and some are only available for leasing, Renault however will sell the Kangoo ZE as an outright purchase but will also rent the batteries in a move that will cut out any worries about the cost of a replacement. Despite Renault saying the battery will last at least eight years before they need replacing, they will change them all as soon as they lose a quarter of their efficiency. They hope that this will see many firms with vans that are protected by commercial vehicle insurance making the switch to electric.

Brave new world

Renault is wary of predicting sales volumes as the market is a totally new one but Fabien Goulmy, Renault’s small LCV range director, predicts that within five years 10% of vehicles on the roads of the UK will be electric and zero emission. It may be a brave prediction but he is confident of the technology and wants Renault and the new Kangoo to be at the forefront of the revolution.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, electric vehicles, Renault, Van Insurance
Posted in Van Insurance, commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Electric car sales yet to spark into life

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

The problems besetting motor manufacturers in persuading the public to get behind the wheels of the new generation of electric vehicles has been highlighted this week by a report from industry insiders.

Only 1000 cars sold

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) the sum total of electric cars sold so far this year is just 1000. The figures are amazingly low when one considers the hype surrounding the launch of the new zero emission vehicles and must come as a big blow to manufacturers who will have anticipated that companies across the UK would by this time be taking fleet insurance out on thousands of the new cars.

Public ignorant about the facts

As it is, the vast majority of the new cars that have been sold are covered by commercial vehicle insurance, and are, therefore, being used by van drivers who use their vans every single day. The public, on the whole, remain to be convinced of the benefits of the green revolution. And according to GFK report, motor manufacturers have only themselves to blame. GFK surveyed over 3,000 car drivers in the UK and found that only 1% of those asked were interested in buying an electric car. It seems that the manufacturers marketing strategy has failed miserably when such a large part of the driving population are ignoring the new technology. The report says most drivers have little idea of the cost, but were amazed when they were told, how long it takes to charge a vehicle and not much idea how far they could travel once it was fully charged.

Costing is the big factor

The creators of the report suggest the public won’t engage with the new vehicles unless they are given more details about the benefits of the cars and how they work. They also suggest entry models should be a lot cheaper, which in truth is really obvious. The cost of a new electric car, even when the Governments £5,000 subsidy, is taken into account is ridiculous. No serious car manufacturers wanting to capture the mass market launches a basic model at a price more associated with top of the range cars, and it is surely this that is holding the public back. Many people will take a chance on a quirky product if it is cheap and cheerful, and really both those words should apply to the cars that manufacturers say will revolutionise our driving habits.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Electric cars, electric Vans, Van Insurance
Posted in Advice, Van Insurance, commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »