Electric dreams become reality as testing service expands EV fleet

Eurofins Food and Water Testing UK, part of the global Eurofins group, now has seven vans covering various regions in England and Scotland.

It’s part of the organisation’s mission to reduce its carbon usage, supporting the Government’s targets of cutting these emissions by 68 per cent over the next seven years and eliminating them altogether before 2050.

Always ahead of the curve, the Eurofins team has set themselves the ambitious mission of becoming completely carbon neutral by 2026 – which would see them achieve this goal decades before other organisations.

The company introduced two electric vehicles in March 2022 and – following successful implementation of these initial replacements – has now added a further five EVs to the fleet. One of the new vans is being used in Glasgow and Edinburgh, one in Norfolk, two in Central London and the fifth is based at their Wolverhampton headquarters.

And initial reports on mileage are positive, with journeys of up to 177 miles being covered even with the necessary refrigeration unit running on board, keeping samples at the correct temperature when transporting them to the nearest Eurofins’ lab.

Managing director Mark Carnaghan explained: “We’ve always been a forward-thinking organisation, both when it comes to advances in the food testing industry and when it comes to wider business goals. It’s our aim to become carbon neutral by 2026 to ensure that we’re not only complying with UK targets, we’re also reaching them years in advance of the timelines set out by the Government.

“We know sustainability is not only hugely important to our team, it’s also a core goal of many of the customers we work with – so it’s reassuring for them to know that we are doing everything we can to ensure Eurofins operates in a way which doesn’t negatively impact the environment, and sustains our world for generations to come.

“The fleet replacement programme represents just one part of our wider sustainability plan, but it’s an important part – and we’re very proud to see the new electric vehicles being used across England and Scotland.

“Importantly, the EVs represent a move towards carbon neutral without impacting customer service in any way, our collection routes remain the same and the only difference is that we’re transporting samples in a way which is greener, cleaner and futureproof.”