Our News: The Latest Updates on Van Racking Systems and Innovations

We at System Edström had the pleasure of attending the 2023 Fleet News Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on Wednesday 15 March. The event brought together representatives from across the UK’s automotive and fleet industries to celebrate another successful year for the sector.

We were particularly delighted to sponsor the award for Outstanding New Product of the Year, which was presented on the night to James Coyle and Kate Tyrrell of winners EV ChargeSafe by our commercial director, David Sawford. The company was honoured for its charge point rating system.

The judges said: “EV Chargesafe is a structured, independent assessment of public charge points across the UK that adds value for every electric car user. It fills a real need for information, with clear safety benefits for vulnerable drivers, and has the potential to be the standard for the industry by promoting confidence in the public charging network.”

David Sawford said: “Our congratulations to EV ChargeSafe, who are worthy winners of this award. Their innovative rating system is a great service that offers real benefits to drivers of electric vehicles.”

Also highly commended by the judges were Dropless, for their Hydroloop mobile water recycling system. Our congratulations to them and the other nominees in this category, as well as everyone who was nominated for an award on the night.

We’re delighted to have been recognised for our expertise in the Converter of the Year category at this year’s What Van? Awards.

System Edström achieved a Highly Commended rating in the category. The award was won by temperature-controlled van supplier Coolkit. Our hearty congratulations go to them.

Commercial Director David Sawford said: “I’m so immensely proud of all the team at System Edström UK who have faced many challenges and changes over the past three years. To be recognised by the industry yesterday as Highly Commended was testament to the hard work and commitment our team demonstrate every day. Well done team, you deserve this.”

We were also really pleased to share the occasion with some of the members of our team in Sweden, including our CEO Steffen Karlsson.

Joining the company in the last month is Harvey Wright, who has taken up a new post in channel business development.

Harvey’s role will focus mainly on supporting our dealer partners. His brief involves strengthening our relationships with our partners, helping to maximise business opportunities for us and them. He will also be on hand to assist dealers with all their DnD queries and will work closely with work Erinna Payne on order processing.

Harvey joins the company from Sytner BMW, where he spent two years as a sales executive – his first role in the automotive sector. Harvey says of his time at Sytner: “I really enjoyed my time there. I loved being around prestige motors every day! But now I’ve moved on and I’m ready for a new challenge, with an eye to making great progress in my career.”

While at Sytner, Harvey gained important experience in sales, particularly when it comes to customer service. “To me, great customer service is all about personability, approachability, honesty and integrity, and making sure the customer journey is as seamless as possible,” he says.

He’s also excited to be working with such a great product. “After spending a week in the stores learning to love the product and all its functions, it’s a very easy product to sell – it does the talking for you.”

Outside of work, Harvey loves spending time both watching and playing football. He regular plays 6-a-side and is a keen supporter of Blackburn Rovers. Unsurprisingly, he’s also passionate about motors.

We’re sure you’ll joining us in welcoming Harvey and wishing him all the best for his career at System Edström.

System Edström is honoured to be Racking Associate Sponsor for the 2022 FN50. The evening recognises the crucial role that leasing companies – and their people – play in keeping the UK economy on the move.

The FN50 Dinner 2022 takes place at the prestigious Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London on Tuesday 1 November. The evening brings together key players in the fleet industry and is perhaps the most important event of the year in our sector.

At its heart is the unveiling of the annual FN50 listing. This guide to the UK’s leading leasing companies plays a key role in the industry, so being involved as a sponsor for the awards that accompany it is vital to System Edström.

As Racking Associate Sponsor, System Edström is not only helping celebrate the achievers in our sector. The evening also gives us a wonderful opportunity to meet up with colleagues, customers and friends from around the country. It is a wonderful way to get to know existing clients more and to build relationships with prospective partners.

As a member of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, we also believe it is important to support the industry in any way we can. Being a part of FN50 also plays a key role in this.

We are looking forward eagerly to this year’s event and hope to see many of you there.

The interest in electric van has increased significantly in recent years, partly due to an increased environmental awareness among the public and partly due to the fact that the range, price and performance of electric vans have improved quite significantly. It is now both practically and financially defensible for a lot of us to get an electric van, but what is it like for craftsmen?

Environmental friendly

One should not underestimate the fact that the biggest advantage of having an electric van instead of a traditional van, is the environmental benefits. It can ease your own environmental conscience as well as it is something that is becoming more and more important for your customers. A lot of customers prefer to hire companies that they know are taking responsibility for the environment, so by getting an electric van you get an advantage over your competitors who still run on petrol or diesel. However, there are still not many of us who want bragging rights from customers over practical and economic possibilities. So how reasonable is it really for you as a craftsman to get an electric van?

Is an electric van a good idea for you?

In short, it can be said that if you primarily move in an urban environment and have the opportunity to charge the van at home – either by installing a charging box in your garage or in the driveway, or if you apartment complex has its own charging stations – it can make both practical and economical sense for you to get an electric van.

Depending on which model you have, you can count on a range of 100 km for some electric vans and 200 km for others. So before you start thinking about which model is best for you, it is a good idea to keep a log on how far you drive every day.

A lot of models also have fast charging which allows you to charge the battery up to 80% in under an hour, so if you know that there are lunch or coffee places around your work that offer fast charging, that is also worth taking into consideration.

Economic aspects

What about the economy? Electric vans are normally slightly more expensive than the corresponding traditional alternative, but they are definitely cheaper to both own and drive. Electricity as fuel is much cheaper than petrol and diesel, electric vans require significantly less maintenance because of the electric motor that has fewer moving parts that can break, and you also get an environmental bonus of up to £7 000 when buying an electric van. Also the vehicle tax is much lower…

Pros and cons

All in all, it can be said that the pros and cons of having an electric van as a craftsman is:

Cons:

• You need to make sure that you have places to charge the van
• You can not drive more than 100-200 km between charges, depending on the model
• More expensive to buy

Pros:

• Better for the environment (which a lot of customers appreciate)
• Lower operating costs and taxes
• Needs less maintenance and service
• Is allowed in environmental zones in cities
• Less noise
• Fast acceleration

Which electric van should you get?

This is a selection of suitable options for the craftsmen who wants to get an electric van:

• Renault Kangoo Z.E
• Nissan e-NV200
• Opel Vivaro-e
• Mercedes eVito
• Volkswagen e-Caddy
• Volkswagen e-Crafter
• Volkswagen e-Transporter

All of these are excellent options for all types of craftsmen with different strengths and weaknesses. All of them are also compatible with System Edström’s van racking.