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The programme, known as the Van Best Practice Programme, main focus will be on helping vans to be more fuel efficient in order to lower costs and to help reduce the production of greenhouse gas emissions. Estimates reveal that an across-the-board improvement of fuel efficiency of only 5% would amount to savings of approximately £250 million per annum, and also provide a reduction of carbon emissions by 3/4 Million tonnes.  In order to van drivers to reach this level of saving, there are two best practice guides available, will offer practical tips and counsel for people who manage fleets of vans and van drivers as well.

For obtain more info about the Van Best Practice programme or to gain access to the new guidelines, you can call 0300 123 1133 or you can simply go online and do an internet search for Van Best Practice

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The electric vehicle producer, which is based in the United Kingdom, has selected ElecTruckCity as the only French importer of Smith Electric’s Smith Newton, the globes top-selling electric truck. The Smith Edison will also be distributed by ElecTruckCity; the Smith Edison is a total electric edition of the popular Ford Transit van.

Smith made known their selection of ElecTruckCity as their sole distributor at Solutrans, a European transport Expo. ElecTrucKCity has both the Smith Newton and Smith Edison on display at the Expo.

The Edison and Newton run on lithium-ion batteries and can go a top speed of 50mph and can travel between 70 and 150 miles when fully charged. These energy efficient vehicles also use a process known as regenerative braking, which means that the vehicles recapture electricity when the vehicles slow down or come to a stop.

ElecTruckCity is located in the southern part of Paris and is one of the premiere commercial vehicle specialists in France. It had its start in 2009, founded by Frederic Deret, and Michel Albrand, both executives in their own rights.

ElecTruckCity is establishing a distributing web that will span 17 major cities in France, which will include Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux and Marseilles. These distribution centres will be staffed by a highly trained group of employee’s who will be available to assist their customers.

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The Ford Ranger Thunder 4×4 that Anchor Vans will be donating will be a diesel model with a 59 plate, seats with leather upholstery, an air conditioning unit, and power steering as well.

An enthusiastic Simon Joyce of Anchor Vans stated that Anchor Vans was happy to be able to offer their support for golf day, and by doing that they were supporting the Sports Relief charity that has really captured our attention. Simon also commented about the 4×4 that they were donating to the golfer who gets a hole-in-one; he said that the Ford Ranger was such a great vehicle that he wished that he could take part in the event himself so that he would have a chance of winning it.  Simon also commented that the prize should be popular with all the bad weather that they had been having recently; our selection of 4×4 vehicles have been highly popular, as people have concluded that having a 4×4 is the only way to keep going in the snow.

To obtain more information on this event you can call 0118 9710 230 or visit www.anchorvans.co.uk.

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Staveley Head, one of the top providers of van insurance in the United Kingdom, thinks that many will consider leasing a vehicle as opposed to purchasing an automobile or a van.

When buying a vehicle, most people borrow the money to cover the purchase; the current high interest rates are not doing anything to aid the rebound of the auto industry that is already on shaky ground.

The record high interest rates will hurt people with a poor credit rating the most since it will keep them from getting in on the lower rates. Additionally, people who want to obtain lower loan amounts will have to borrow money at a higher rate.

For those who are planning to purchase a vehicle, the thing to do is to shop around. When dealing with a dealership, do not make the assumption that the financing that the dealership offers is going to be the best interest rate that you can get. Do the math; add up the deposit, the full sum of the monthly payments, and the last payment to determine the total cost of the loan. The total price of the loan can oft times be more than half of the price of the vehicle being purchased. So shop around, and do not be afraid to negotiate with a dealership to try and get a better rate; getting a good interest can save you a considerable amount of money on your vehicle purchase. In addition, when buying a new vehicle, some dealers will occasionally offer 0% financing, that is definitely a finance deal that is worth considering.

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This is the first application that RAC has offered, and is on the cutting edge of traffic applications as it reveals where the traffic congestion begins and also where the congestion ends, with the help of Google Maps. The application shows exactly where the user is at, which means that users can get a current picture of regional traffic; there are also text and audio traffic updates available through the application.

The new application will give users a picture of current traffic conditions that is  both accurate and detailed; the accuracy and precision of this app is the best that is offered on a mobile phone application. This mobile application by RAC gives traffic updates that are in real time using Trafficlink, the United Kingdom’s top supplier of real time traffic reports.

This app from RAC cost nothing to download, and is accessible by iPhone and by Google Android phones. The application can be downloaded from iTunes or from Android market.

RAC has a good history of helping people to plan their motoring trips. Their Route Planning, and Traffic and Travel features that are available on their website have over two million unique visitors on a monthly basis.

If you would like to know more about RAC’s mobile traffic application, and would like to download it for free, check it out on the iTunes App Store site or at the Android Market site.

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Simon remarked that the used van prices that we are currently experiencing in the industry are extraordinary. He said that the rise in prices in 2009 was remarkable, but that it dawned on him that he was purchasing used vans at trade prices that are the same amount as the sale prices in the same period in 2009. Simon said that he had never seen anything like this before, and that he did not see an end any time soon.

The reason that Simon gave for this phenomenon was the recession. He said that there were numerous factors involved but that the underlying cause was the recession. He explained that there are not as many used vans on the market due to fleets not replacing their vans (fleets replacing their vans is a one of the major contributors of used commercial vehicles). He also stated that there were not as many individuals purchasing new vans either. Due to these reasons, Simon believes that the high prices for used vans will be around for awhile.

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2010 is expected to see a 15% rise in insurance premiums according to some experts, this is coming after the 20% rise in premiums that happened between the first of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 that was revealed in a report by Consumer Intelligence.

Some have accused the price comparison sites of holding the insurance rates artificially low over the past two years, but even the comparison sites are starting to feel the pinch of the reaction of insurers to the persistent underwriting losses that have hammered the industry.

Staveley Head, one of the top commercial vehicle insurers in the United Kingdom, thinks that the reason the rates have stayed low is the result of the insurance companies trying to maintain their share of the market regardless of the cost.

A representative for Staveley Head said that insurers have been underwriting insurance cover at a loss for several years, with the hope that the return on investments would cover the loss. However, being in a recession has lowered investment returns to an insignificant amount, forcing many insurance companies to use their reserves to pay out dividends. As reserves run low, insurers have had no other option but to bring the premiums up to a more realistic rate.

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Smith Electric Vehicles will be the provider of 10 Edison Electric vans to Ford, who is collaborating in the cologneE-mobile project that begun on February the 22nd.

The project, which includes Ford of Europe, will look at the possible benefits of electric commercial vehicles utilized in Cologne and use that as a basis for predicting the how they will affect Germany’s agenda for having one-million zero emission vehicles on Germany’s roads by 2020.

Smith Electric’s part in the project will be to provide 10 Edison electric vans; seven of the Edison’s will be for panel vans to be used by delivery companies, two of the Edison’s will be for minibuses to be used in passenger shuttle services and one of the Edison’s will be a chassis cab for civic use in the City of Cologne.

Ford of Europe part in the project will be to deliver the final version of the vehicles to the chosen entities and to be in charge of their technical upkeep and servicing during the project. Later on in the project, Ford will put several Ford Focus BEV electric passenger cars on the road.

The project will study the effect of electric vans and electric automobiles on city air quality, driving safety, and on the electric power grid. The scientists working the project will evaluate the results of the study to determine how effective electric vehicle technology will be for cities in Germany.

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RAC is so notable that the results of a recent survey hailed RAC as one of the top breakdown service providers in the United Kingdom. According to the Institute of Customer Service, RAC received a greater score than any of the other breakdown insurers, and at 84%, it also was seventh in best overall customer service in all categories including services, retail, and automotive.

The results from the institute come after the recent announcing of RAC being ranked number one in customer satisfaction in the ‘UK Roadside Assistance’ study, which had been administered  by J.D. Power and Associates; RAC has won this prestigious award for the past 4 years.

The Institute polled 26,000 UK adults and asked them how companies and organisations done in  important customer service related areas, areas such as being professional, being efficient, quality of service, ease of transaction, trouble shooting, and the overall deliverance of customer service.

RAC Information
RAC is one of the United Kingdom’s most advanced motoring organisations, offering services to private drivers and business motorists as well.

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The year 2010 is the 90th anniversary of the UK producer of electric vehicles; Smith Electric can trace their beginnings all the way back to the year 1920 when they begin in Newcastle on Tyne.

It will also be birthday number three for the Smith Edison electric van. The Smith Edison debuted at the 2007 Commercial Vehicle in junction with Ford of Europe. The Smith Edison can travel 100 miles on a charge and can attain a top speed of 50mph. It was developed for return-to-base, city set-ups, and the lithium-ion batteries can go from dead to a full charge in a time as little as 3hrs.

The Smith Edison comes on a variety of Transit chassis, that include 3.5t and 4.6t medium and a high top panel van; and also a 3.5t and a 4.6t chassis cab that can be used with different bodies that include refrigerator units, tipper, box, and drop side as well. Smith also makes an electric minibus that has a variety of seating schemes.

At this years Commercial Vehicle Show, Smith Electric will display a Smith Newton, the biggest road-going electric truck in the world. The Newton can travel up to 120 miles on a full charge and like the Smith Edison can attain a top speed of 50mph
.
To find out more about Smith Electric Vehicles, visit them at the CV Show at Stand 5740 or you can visit their website, smithelectricvehicles.com.

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Swinton Commercial conducted an online survey of 1,200 of their customers, the results of the survey revealed that 37% of those surveyed would purchase the Mercedes Vito over other vans if the cost of the van was not an issue.

Taking second place in the survey was the Volkswagen Transporter that came in right behind the Vito with 35% saying that they preferred the popular van from Volkswagen. Rounding out the top five vans in the online survey were the Ford Transit with 17% of the votes, the Toyota Hiace with 6.6% of the votes, and the Chevy 2010 Express with 4.4% of the votes.

Phil Moss, of Swinton Commercial stated that even when money in not an issue when purchasing a van, drivers should give consideration to price of a van insurance policy. He also made the point that some vans will cost more to insure thanks to their level of risk and the amount of repair cost.

Swinton Commercial is a part of the Swinton Group that takes care of commercial insurance and has been awarded different awards for their insurance service. Having 580 branches across the nation, Swinton is the United Kingdom’s biggest high street insurance seller.

To find out more about Swinton, contact SKV communications at 0161 838-7770 or visit the website at skvcommunications.co.uk.

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Additionally, all of the excessive work that is performed by drivers can results in stress, backache, and an increased risk for heart disease and mental illness as well, according to the TUC.

In spite of the driving risk and the  health dangers that come with driving for long periods of time, 25% of the bus drivers work more than 49 and one-half hours per week, and 25% of van drivers work in excess of 48 hours per week.

The laws that regulate the driving time for coaches ,buses, and vans as well as other larger vehicles were established in the 1968 Transport Act. The TUC submission makes the case that these laws are now more than three decades old; so old that drivers of these types of vehicles get less protection for working long hours than workers in factories, offices, and people who work in shops. The 1998 Working Time regulations offer protection for people who work the previously mentioned jobs.

The TUC stated that the laws need to be brought up-to-date, so that drivers will have the privilege of proper breaks and be protected against having to work too many hours.

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The deal that was signed early on in December will have the two companies working together to produce total-electric trucks for sale in both North and South America. The President of the United States, Barack Obama, gave a grant of £23 million for the joint-project earlier in 2009.

Modec was awarded a £4 million government loan that it received from Advantage West Midlands previously in 2009 in order to carry out their business plan. Modec was happy to receive the government help during such a harsh financial environment that has made raising money very challenging.

Modec is the first firm on the globe to scheme and construct an electric commercial vehicle from beginning to end rather than just place a battery onto a pre-existent vehicle.

The Business Minister Pat McFadden stated that firms such as Modec play an important part in Government’s dream  of low carbon production and in assisting the United Kingdom’s automotive industry to manage the change from traditional to electric drive technologies. It is vital that UK firms are in the lead in these types of  technologies now in order to procure the jobs of tomorrow.

Reduce the amount of CO2 emissions.
Improve van safety on the highways.
Reduce the cost of operating a van through enhanced van specs and improved utilisation.
Improve the quality of the air we breathe.
Make better investments in training and equipment.
Make further improvements in such areas as journey time dependability, traffic congestion, noise pollution, being competitive and resilience.

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AEA has been awarded the contract to deliver the Van Best Practice programme by the Department of Transport. Sujith Kollamhodi, of AEA made the following comment on the Van Best Practice contract:
” As the amount of vans increase on the highways, and CO2 levels on the rise, it is increasingly important to make sure that vans are operated efficiently and safely. The Van Best Practice programme will be an important part of the reduction of the harm done to the environment by vans, as well as helping van operators reduce their expenses.”

If you would like more information on the AEA and the Van Best Practice programme, you should contact Rowan Baker or Michael Evans at 020 7593 4000 or visit the Madano website www.madano.com. You can also contact Jo Wheeler, the PR Manager at AEA at 0870 190 2700 or by email at jo.wheeler@aeat.co.uk.

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The goal of the Van Best Practice programme is to enhance the operating efficiency within the van industry, through the implementation of best practice guidelines on van details, van operation, and efficient van driving procedures. It is hoped that the programme will play a big part in lowering CO2 emissions from vans, and in lowering the amount of automobile accidents that involve vans.

The Best Van Practice programme will be implemented using a variety of channels that include a high profile release, trade and consumer events, and specially aimed crusades and endorsements. There will also be a Van Best Practice website overseen by AEA, as well as research by AEA to help better understand the van sector.

AEA was given the contract after they completed a pilot study to discover the main factors that affect the operation of a van fleet on our highways. The Best Van Practice programme is scheduled to be put into effect over a span of 3 years, is valued at £1.8m, and will be funded by the Department of Transport.

AEA also has a number of driver training plans under the Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving programme; the Van Best Practice will extend the reach of the Safe And Fuel Efficiency Driving programme but will not contain formal training.

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Anchor Vans, one of the top vendors of used vans in the United Kingdom reported sales for the month of March 2009 that were the most sales in one month since the company begin 20 years ago. During March 2009, Anchor Vans reported that they sold 155 used commercial vehicles, which broke all previous sales records for the company, and this in spite of an adverse economic environment.

Simon Joyce stated that it was a great morale booster for Anchor Vans, as in selling 155 used vehicles in the space of one month is no small matter, especially when you consider the economic situation for a lot of businesses. Simon also said that he hoped that these sales figures serve as an example of how if a company is managed the right way, it can do more than just get by in a recession, but it can be highly successful.

The amazing sales that Anchor Vans seen almost a year ago, went against the trend of declining sales throughout the automotive industry. Joyce attributed the success that Anchor Vans has achieved to over-the-top customer service as well as high quality used vans at fantastic prices.

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As government agencies in the United States are required to lower their vehicle emissions, the US has turned to Smith Electric to help them to meet the emissions requirements. The Smith Electric Newton, one of Smith Electric’s top-selling electric trucks has US government approval by the US General Services Administration to be put on their schedule of products approved for purchase by US governmental agencies and the US military. The Smith Newton is the first medium duty electric truck to be placed on the General Services Administration schedule; it is also the only medium/heavy duty truck to achieve California Air Resources Board certification.

The Federal requirements to lower emissions is the result of an executive order by the United States President, Barack Obama to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, and formulate a plan to lower them. The executive order mandates a target of a 30% reduction in fleet petroleum consumption by the year 2020.

The Smith Newton truck runs solely on a lithium-ion battery, which means that it is zero emissions at the point of use. With a top speed of 50 mph, the Smith Newton can travel in excess of 100 miles on a single charge and has a payload capacity of 7,300 kg.

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Battery-powered commercial vehicles have a range limit of around 100 miles (160km), this makes electric  vehicles a great choice for in-town operations. The range can be extended, however, by utilizing a small hydrogen fuel cell to help the vehicle to go farther, actually about 100 miles farther.

Smith Electric, a company based in the United Kingdom has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Proton Power Systems, a fuel cell genius based in Germany. Under this agreement, both Smith Electric and Proton Power Systems will work together to produce and put on the market an electric, commercial vehicle that has a Proton PM200 fuel cell to extend its range. The fuel cell is to top-up the batteries and to help with auxiliary functions such as the air conditioner and the heater. The fuel cell will also be a source of electricity that will improve the ease of maintenance.

The partnership will begin with Smith’s hugely successful Edison line of electric vans, which now are being used by some of the biggest names in the United Kingdom’s Fleet services. Big names such as , Sainsbury’ Online, TNT, Royal Mall and , and Scottish and Southern Energy.

Proton Power and Smith will show the vans at the Hanover Fair in April of 2010; soon after this, the two companies plan on releasing the electric vehicles for transportation and maintenance in different German municipalities.  The first lot of these electric vehicles is scheduled to be delivered towards the end of 2010.

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Anchor Vans shared how they went against the trend during a time of recession. Anchor Vans announced the opening of a newly constructed facility in Padworth at the Anchor Vans business park. Anchor Vans huge success enabled them to expand upon their vehicle servicing provision and as a result Anchor was able to add more laborers to their staff. The complex that Anchor was able to open in 2009 has 12,000 sq. ft. of office space and workshops with areas for classes four, five and seven MOTS, covering all automobiles, vans, and minibuses.

The opening of the new complex was a great beginning for Anchor Vans in 2009, as it allowed Anchor Vans to provide more services for their customers in 2009 and in the years to come. According to Simon Joyce of Anchor Vans, the complex added last March enabled Anchor Vans to take care of three times the amount of servicing than they had previously been able to do, and also gave them three major service contracts with NSN, Master Lease and 1 link.

While the recession may have hurt some in the automotive industry, Anchor Vans seems to have ridden the bad economic tide very well.

www.thevaninsurer.co.uk which is the fastest growing van insurance comparison site in the World understands that the latest sales figures from British Car Auctions (BCA) are the highest for 24 months and indicate progressive recovery within the industry since December 2008.  The increase in vehicle values parallel an escalating resurgence in the British economy after last month’s Government announcement on GDP expansion, stating the recession as over **.

Alex Stone, CEO of www.thevaninsurer.co.uk commented:

“The improvement of the commercial vehicle market in 2009 at last symbolises a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry. The UK has just suffered the worst recession in 60 years and the commercial vehicle market experienced a particularly rough ride. However, it can now be said that the industry’s future, as shown by the reassuring growth of used-van values by the end of the year, is extremely promising.”

www.thevaninsurer.co.uk was launched last year in the midst of the global economic crisis as a means to aid the consumer in finding the best possible deal on van insurance. The site guarantees to provide any user with the cheapest online quote to ensure its customers are saving money.

The website also offers every customer free legal insurance with every quote, not just every policy bought, as well as comparing the level of policies to pledge that users can expect the most competitive rates on the market.

*Average used LCV value figures taken from British Car Auctions - December 2009

** http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/Broadcasts/DG_184602