National Grid is adding a fully electric 4×4 vehicle to its transport fleet, developed in collaboration with car manufacturer Skoda and vehicle conversion company Strongs.
As part of its commitment to net zero by 2050, National Grid’s fleet electrification process comes with the overhead of its engineering teams needing vehicles with all-terrain capability. The partnership saw Skoda’s Enyaq road car converted into a light commercial vehicle (LCV) with all-terrain capability.
High-strength, low-weight plastic materials have been used to ensure the vehicle has a wide range and is safe. It has also been adapted to provide the stowage needed for the specialist equipment used by the electricity distribution network operator’s (DNO’s) engineers.
Initially, the DNO will take a delivery of 70 Enyaqs. Chris Mayell, National Grid Energy Distribution’s transport manager, said the adapted vehicle represents an “important milestone” in transforming “one of the largest fleets in the UK”.
National Grid currently operates over 300 fully electric commercial vans and 600 electric company cars.
He added: “Working with Strongs, we identified the potential of the Enyaq and started thinking creatively about turning it into a fully electric vehicle (EV) that meets operational needs for certain job roles, while reducing emissions in the communities we serve.”
Strongs director Simon Gregory said: “There were no off-the-shelf solutions within the commercial motor trade that could fulfil this demanding and environmentally challenging list of requirements. National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) had to look outside their normal route to market to be able to facilitate their operational requirements.”
Strongs worked closely with Skoda and the DVSA to ensure the Enyaqs’ conversion complied with all relevant standards to allow it to be registered as an LCV, an important consideration as passenger cars and LCVs are subject to different taxation rules.
According to Amy Nash, Skoda’s area fleet manager, it is tricky to find a 4×4 EV utility vehicle on the current market and that “challenging the norm can have brilliant results”.
National Grid’s innovation has recently been in the spotlight after Ofgem awarded it £15.3 million to develop new grid transmission solutions across several projects, under the regulator’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).
That total includes £6,856,750 to NGED for projects supporting local decision making on regional energy planning through new digital platforms. The funding announcement came just days before today’s announcement (13 September) that the secretary of state for energy security and net zero has approved its development consent order application for the Bramford to Twinstead Reinforcement.
Three rounds of public consultation took place to shape the proposals, which will see around 27 km of existing overhead line removed and replaced with a mixture of new overhead line and underground cables in the Dedham Vale National Landscape and parts of the Stour Valley.
