15 Oct 26
Van Flooring for Electric Vans: A UK Fleet Guide
More UK fleets are moving to electric vans, and the upfit needs to change with them. Two things matter more in an EV than in a diesel van: how much the upfit weighs, and how it’s fixed to the floor.
Get either wrong and you lose payload, range or, worst of all, damage the battery. Get them right and the van works harder for longer.
Why weight matters more in an electric van
When Riverford Organic Farmers moved its delivery fleet to electric vans, a reduced payload was one of the first challenges on its list. Every kilo of floor and lining takes away from what the van can carry, and in an EV it also affects how far the van goes on a charge. When battery life is the priority, weight becomes a valuable currency.
Almost 180kg saved per van by converter Car & Commercial with Eclipse flooring and EconoLite liners.
Don’t drill into the floor
Many electric vans carry their batteries under the cargo floor. Ford’s own manual for the E-Transit is clear about the risk:
Puncturing a lithium-ion battery can release toxic fumes and cause a fire, as well as an expensive repair. Read our guide to E-Transit no-drill zones.
NO-DRILL INSTALLATION
Eclipse avoids the problem by using a no-drill fastener kit, so the floor can be fitted without drilling through the van’s chassis floor.
CRASH TESTED
If you can’t drill through the chassis, the floor itself has to hold the shelving in place. So we put Eclipse through a 20G crash test to check its pull strength - it passed!
ECLIPSE AT A GLANCE
53% lighter than plywood
20G crash tested
75% recycled material
Impact, chemical and moisture resistant, and anti-slip
Built for electric vans
Eclipse is LEGEND’s floor built for the EV - it’s 53% lighter than ply, built to give you your payload back and it’s made for large fleets and electric vans including the Ford E-Transit and Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. See Eclipse for your van, or browse all lightweight van flooring.
Riverford: an EV fleet built on LEGEND
Riverford set out three problems for its new electric fleet:
Less payload.
No drilling into the floor, because of the battery.
A sustainable lining that wasn’t plywood.
Its plywood floors also couldn’t be wiped down properly, a real risk when delivering fresh food.
LEGEND built a full prototype vehicle, and Riverford went on to upfit its fleet with LEGEND floors and linings. The recycled composite lining is easy to clean and water and chemical resistant, and the lighter build saved over 75kg on the vehicle.
“Because of the lightweight nature of the [Eclipse] flooring, we can carry around 35 kilos more payload for every delivery trip.” James Welton, Fleet Manager, Riverford
Read the full Riverford story.
Your EV upfit checklist
Find out what your current upfit weighs, and what payload is left.
Check the manufacturer’s no-drill zones for your van model.
Ask how the floor and racking will be fixed without drilling.
Choose recycled materials if sustainability is part of the reason for going electric (more on sustainability).
Trial one van before rolling out across the fleet.
Or find a LEGEND upfitter near you.
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