Do you remember the Mini Clubman? Well, they say you can’t beat the old classics, don’t they, and the motor trade reinvents old concepts like they’re going out of fashion. And Mini are no different, rehashing the Clubman into what has been paraded at the Geneva Motor Show as the Mini Clubvan, and is coming to a showroom near you before the end of the year.

Originally branded as the Cargo at concept stage, it was too tempting, one supposes, to play on the original name and announces Mini’s return to the light commercial vehicle sector, albeit with a little help from the Beamer boys back home in Germany.

With the entire motor trade being dangled by political aspirations and global drives to reduce CO2 emissions whilst improving efficiency overall, the historical economy of the Mini fits right in with the trend of global manufacturers blowing off the design concepts of mini- or city-vans.

Sticking to the small car base model should not only encourage cost-savings on fuel savings but also enable van drivers to secure cheap van insurance, too. In addition, with German engineering and proven technological superiority in many fields, wear and tear should be reduced to a minimum, too.

Although it is aimed at the light commercial vehicle market, there is a very specific niche that this model is envisaged to attract. Mini has worked hard, with its BMW parent, to promote the image of the classic small car. It is hoped that the ‘fun’ element will carry through from the domestic market and hit home with high-end small businesses.

Of those industries, it is expected that crafts such as fashion houses, photographers and art dealers will benefit from the manoeuvrability around town, making collections or deliveries to boutiques and shop fronts on busy high streets or shopping centres, as well as the envisaged savings on fuel and possibly the cheapest van insurance on the market for a commercial vehicle.

In order to increase the accessibility and loading capability using such a small base model, the five door van will be a two-seater with partition grill up front, beyond which is a complete flatbed with simple attachments for fastening loads during transit and 2 x 12v sockets for charging hand tools or, more likely, laptops and tablet devices.

Externally, the panels and paintwork are in the trademark Mini Cooper British Racing Green, perfect for cheap van insurance-friendly logo and livery signage, with the rear door windows almost black with tint to keep out prying eyes.

With any luck, this new Mini Clubvan will help keep your van insurance quotes to an absolute Minimum.

There have been plenty of brands and new models vying for top spot at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, from supercars to vehicles that will become high-end collectibles before they’ve even gone into mainstream production. But one of the surprise highlights has been the interest in the Mercedes VITO E-Cell Crew Bus.

You can almost hear the sigh of relief from the EV sector, who have tried everything to drum up interest from offering huge plug-in grant discounts off retail prices to marketing the fuel savings, many trade columns even highlighting the fact that the battery-powered range will invite cheap van insurance, but to little effect, thus far.

It’s almost as if the automotive sector have seen the electric van as something of a novelty, perhaps deemed okay for the domestic car, but an electric vehicle put through its paces in a commercial sense? The market has simply not been convinced.

One of the key sticking points thus far, echoed by many men and women of influence within the trade, is the slow progress in the roll out of plug in charge points. Any savings to be had on cheap van insurance would be negated if your van ran out of juice half way between Liverpool and Bristol and the one top-up meter en route was out of order. The resulting 740 stations from a target of 7,100 has just not convinced industry that battery power is a viable option. Yet.

However, the fact that one of the ‘big’ brands has now produced and is actively marketing a larger electric commercial may cut those who are responsible for meeting emission targets some slack, as there has been a very real interest in the Mercedes model this week in Geneva.

The VITO E-Cell is being looked upon as the ideal carbon-free vehicle for ferrying up to seven passengers around emission-sensitive zones, such as the London LEZ and densely populated estates in other areas of the country. With 100 mile range on one charge at optimum driving levels, it is hoped that this will deliver on certain journeys in built up areas, especially for minibuses that operate privately for communities that have special needs, such as the elderly or members of our society with learning or physical disabilities.

Many of those organisations are not for profit or operated by public sectors that have huge budgets but also the responsibilities of staying within target. It is hoped that they will see the fuel savings and cheap van insurance as a tool they can work with, rather than it work against them, winning them plaudits rather than vilification. For those that are, fifteen countries are scheduled to launch the VITO E-Cell in May, so not too long to wait to see whether interest is just passing or enough has been done to turn that curiosity into sales.

There is a long way to go, yet, down the road for the electric van; let’s hope it’s got the juice to make it.

Due to their recent appointment to Westminster, SMMT have found themselves with fashionable floor space at the chambers’ heart. What better place for them – and the government – to showcase the electric vans that are supposed to be bringing us cost savings on everything from the retail price, to (substantially) fuel and cheap van insurance?

Despite the lack of popularity for the electric vans and the country being offered bungs for incorporating them into their range, SMMT have decided to parade three of the brands that appear on the government’s shortlist for those manufacturers and models that can claim up to £8,000 off the list price. Mmm, nice!

zWeb is a unique feature of Peugeot’s eBipper, the petrol/diesel model transmigrated into an electric van by Allied Electric. The zWeb literally is an eye in the sky as it monitors an engine’s performance from a distance; its technology even assesses each battery cell for charge and temperature so that the battery delivers optimum performance, adjusting energy input to suit the driving conditions.

Many larger organisations are turning to fleet management power houses in an attempt to deliver cost savings on fuel, wear and tear and thus reduce van insurance premiums; the zWeb, in effect, is doing just that through this intuitive software.

The Smith Edison, by Smith Electrical Vehicles, goes to the other end of the spectrum. From the compact Bipper, we see how electric vans can cope in larger models through Smith’s chassis cab, based on the best-selling Ford Transit. As well as showing that size needn’t be a stumbling block for battery-powered vans, this model shows diversity, too.

The chassis cab, being the variation on show at the SMMT Westminster exhibition, comes as a minibus, for carrying crew to and from site, adaptable chassis and the classic panel van, and also offers a spectrum of weight classes, from 3.5 to 4.6 ton (gvw). The chassis variation permits all the versatility you would expect, allowing the back end to be modified for the specific use the businessman has in mind, whether that is delivering refrigerated and frozen food stuffs, box wagon, flat bed with drop side or even a tipper van for loose loads for construction or rubbish.

Smith Edison has really looked into what is holding consumers back from opting for electric vans, cheap van insurance notwithstanding, with additional features that will make the transition smooth and painless.  More tomorrow when we look at what those improvements to battery life mean in real terms and will look at the Azure Dynamics’ Transit Connect, another electric van based around the old Ford classic.

The world of commercial vehicle management is changing at a pace that is unprecedented. New innovations in technology are not only governing the amount of miles by which van drivers can reduce their route, through incorporating intelligent fleet management systems, the way van drivers perform whilst out on the road can also be analysed.

This is fantastic news for fleet managers looking to save money and get a cheap van insurance deal; if they have evidence of improved driver qualifications to show to their insurer or broker, they’ll not only see reductions in their van insurance quotes but also improvements on their budget’s bottom line.

The theory is simple – the better the van driver, the less accidents; the less accidents, the less time taken up dealing with claims and off-road time; the less claims and off-road time, the cheaper van insurance expenses are and better productivity delivered all around for the entire fleet. As the whole industry wakes up to the fact that it is by investing in drivers as well as technology, new innovations are populating the market to accommodate this new way of thinking.

The 2012 CV Show will see another modernisation in tradition that will hopefully make fleet drivers’ performance leaner and more conscious themselves of their driving activity. Tachotrain has been referred to as a ‘revolutionary’ tool to enable van drivers to undergo periodic tests based upon a report generated from tracking and monitoring their driving patterns. This will keep them updated on critical driving legislation and health and safety regulations by way of engaging in multiple choice tests through a virtual training facility.

Built into the system are directives from several key aspects of law, including driving hours (as you would expect, from Tachodisc, the company behind Tachotrain), road worthiness and transport directives. Aspects of training can often be seen as unproductive and scheduling such assessments can often conflict with an employees commitments. However, this piece of kit even incorporates a way around that.

By feeding in employee-specific information, the report can be ran on a number of headings, from work location to employee job title, from depot to management upline, enabling the scheduling of the online assessments, which can be undertaken as long as the software is installed on a PC and there is a working internet connection.

The reports generated by Tachotrain truly are flexible; the insights they give into driving trends and ongoing staff development can significantly reduce costs on man hours, fuel cost and fleet van insurance, when deployed correctly.

The CV Show runs from April 24-26th inclusive at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre.