News

Accord MP has purchased 10 Modec electric vans for use on a six-year, £40m highway maintenance contract with Transport for London (TfL). "One of the promises at the start of the contract was for a greener ethos," says Accord MP customer liaison officer Gary Burt. "Having done our research, we opted for 10 Modecs and a pair of electric motorbikes." The company also operates a fleet of diesel-powered 3.5-tonne vans, 7.5-tonners, 18-tonners, 26-tonners and quad-bikes on the same contract. The first  nine Modecs on its fleet are all dropsides, but they are about to be joined by a box-van version. They are spread-out between Accord MP's Croydon and Greenwich depots, and are used to maintain 183km of south London's most strategic roads.

"So far the Modecs have been a great success," says Darren Tiwari, fleet manager for the TfL contract. He explains that electric vans are perfect for this type of application, because they travel short distances and spend much of the day on location. Although they have a potential range of 100 miles, they rarely venture more than 10 miles from base. Tiwari is impressed with how intuitive the Modec is to drive, and says it takes no more than five minutes to train a new driver.

Although the vans were purchased for their green attributes, Accord MP is discovering there are significant economic benefits to operating an electric vehicle fleet. Tiwari explains that not only are they exempt from road tax and the London Congestion Charge, but  they make more financial sense every time the price of diesel increases. Tiwari is also hopeful that they will prove to be significantly cheaper to maintain than equivalent diesel-powered vehicles. "After all, the most complicated part is the battery and we lease that from Modec," he says. Although electric vehicles do not require an MOT, Accord plans to introduce six-weekly inspections. If they continue to be as reliable as they have been, Tiwari sees no reason why more Modecs won't be purchased in the long-term.

On the road

Accord MP employee Barry Moore has been driving a Modec on and off for the past year, and rates it highly. "There are a few things that I would change," he says, as we drive out of Accord MP's Croydon depot, "but overall I think it's a bloody good van." In his opinion it is "incredibly easy to drive", and he is positive about its handling ability - in the dry. "There isn't a whole lot of traction in the wet though," he adds. This has a lot to do with the van's respectable performance: torque is instant and it reaches 30mph in just 11 seconds. The top speed is governed to 50mph. The van's 100-mile maximum range does not pose a problem, and so far neither him nor any of his colleagues have found themselves stranded. "It's in our interest to make sure we don't run out of juice," he says.

One of Moore's few gripes is with the ride quality, which he says is "perfect for locating potholes". Of course dropsides are notoriously hard on the spine anyway, and we know for a fact the ride has been improved on the latest Modecs. While Moore would like the reassurance of an airbag, he still rates the Modec as a safe vehicle. He praises the central rear door, which means he doesn't have to "step out into a live [road] lane". Visibility through the goldfish-bowl-type windscreen is class-leading and Moore also rates the roof-mounted mirrors highly. Although his comments are largely positive, apparently Accord MP's younger drivers are less complimentary. He says some are "put off by its looks", and refuse to drive it from "fear of losing street-cred". Then again, since the Modec has a 5.5-tonne GVW, only those with a C1 licence can legally drive it anyway.

Moore says the Modec attracts a lot of attention wherever it goes, and during our morning in the passenger seat we couldn't help but notice the inquisitive looks we received from pedestrians and fellow motorists. It looks like nothing else on the road, which is perfect for companies wanting to be seen to be green. "At the end of the day it's just a tool," says Moore, "and not a bad tool at that."