Stand-up cargo, tie-downs, and enough payload for tools and materials — here's what our fleet actually offers a trades or contracting business, van by van.
Job-site vans get judged on a short list: can you stand up in the back, can you tie down what you're carrying, can it handle the weight of tools and materials without straining, and does it have the range to get through a full day of stops. Every van in our fleet is rated on real numbers against all four — no generic "great for business" copy, just the specs.
Working out of a crouch all day slows every job down. Three of our four vans offer real stand-up cargo height:
| Van | Load height | Cargo volume |
|---|---|---|
| Ford E-Transit | 2.07 m (stand-up) | 13.8 m³ |
| Mercedes eSprinter | 2.01 m (stand-up) | 13.8 m³ |
| BrightDrop 600 | 1.93 m (stand-up) | 17.4 m³ |
| Lion 6 | ~2.1 m (box) | ~30 m³ |
The Ford E-Transit has the tallest stand-up height in the cargo-van lineup at 2.07 m, with the Mercedes eSprinter close behind at 2.01 m. The BrightDrop 600 trades a touch of height for a low step-in floor and the largest cargo-van volume at 17.4 m³. The Lion 6's box body runs around 2.1 m throughout its ~30 m³ box — the closest thing to a walk-in warehouse on wheels.
The BrightDrop 600 comes documented with e-track tie-downs, which matter if you're hauling equipment, shelving units, or anything that needs to be strapped down for a rough road. If tie-down setup is a hard requirement for your load, confirm the specific configuration with us before booking — it's a real feature on the BrightDrop, and we'd rather you ask than assume it's fleet-wide.
Tool boxes, generators, lumber, fixtures — trade loads are often heavier than they look. Payload capacity across the fleet:
Match the van to the load: if you're weight-limited (dense tools, equipment), lean toward the E-Transit or Lion 6. If you're space-limited (bulky but lighter materials), the BrightDrop or Lion 6 give you the most room.
Length matters as much as height for some trades. The BrightDrop 600's cargo length runs 4.29 m — enough to carry loads around 3 m with clearance to spare, useful for ladders, conduit, or trim stock. If your longest regular load is close to that mark, it's worth checking the exact cargo dimensions for your chosen van before booking.
A standard licence for the van's class covers it — there's no separate EV endorsement. Pickup includes a 5-minute charging walkthrough, and that's the whole onboarding.
Charging is included in every rate — there's no separate fuel card, no receipts to collect, and no mileage-based charging bill to reconcile at month end. For job costing, the day or week rate is the whole number. See the full breakdown in our cost of renting an electric van in BC guide.
If you're a contracting business weighing electrification more broadly — not just renting a van for a job, but thinking about your fleet — our EV rebates & business case guide covers the TCO angle and how renting sidesteps some of the upfront decisions.
Trades work rarely means one long haul — it's usually a series of shorter stops between the yard, the supply house, and two or three job sites in a day. That stop-and-go pattern is actually favourable for an EV van; you're not burning range on a single continuous highway run. On the 180 km reference route we cite elsewhere on the site, every van in the fleet clears it with margin, including winter-derated range on the Ford E-Transit (~175 km). For routes that run longer or through an Interior winter, the BrightDrop 600 (438 km, ~330 km winter) or Lion 6 (350 km, ~265 km winter) give you the most cushion.
Different trades load differently, and it's worth thinking about your typical day rather than defaulting to the biggest van available:
Most trades vehicles sit overnight at a yard, shop, or home — that's exactly when a Level 2 (AC) charge works best, topping the van back up to 100% with no detour required. If a job runs you further afield, DC fast charging along the route takes anywhere from about 28 minutes (Ford E-Transit) to about 2 hours (Lion 6) to reach 80%. For the full rundown on charging behaviour and who's responsible for it, see our charging guide.
Our Kamloops depot is live today with the full fleet on site. If you run jobs further out, delivery is available anywhere in BC on weekly and longer rentals — useful for a multi-week job site where you'd rather not add a depot round-trip to your crew's day. See our delivery guide for the exact details of how that works.
A lot of trades businesses default to keeping an aging diesel van running rather than actively comparing it against a rental. Worth doing the comparison honestly: diesel fuel and maintenance on a typical route run around $710/month by our homepage's reference math, versus about $280/month electric on the same route — a gap of roughly $430/month, or about 60% lower cost per kilometre. On top of that, an older diesel work van carries its own maintenance risk — the kind of unplanned downtime that costs a trades business more than the repair bill in missed job-site days. A rental sidesteps both the fuel cost and the maintenance-risk question for as long as you need the van.
If more than one person on your crew will be driving the rented van, bring every driver's licence at pickup — our rentals support multiple drivers, and it's simpler to add everyone up front than mid-rental. This matters more for trades and contracting than most rental use-cases, since crews often rotate who's behind the wheel between job sites and the yard.
For a single job or short project, a daily or weekly booking through our normal rate card works fine — see our pricing page for the full ladder. If your business needs a van (or several) on an ongoing basis, it's worth talking to us about a fleet arrangement instead of re-booking individually each time; we don't publish fleet rates online, but contact us for a quote matched to your actual usage pattern.
No — a valid licence for the van's class is all that's required. There's no separate EV endorsement, just a 5-minute charging walkthrough at pickup.
The Lion 6, at 4,500 kg — close to three times the next-highest van in the fleet. For cargo-van-sized jobs, the Ford E-Transit's 1,810 kg is the highest.
The BrightDrop 600 has a 4.29 m cargo length, enough for loads around 3 m with room to spare.
No — charging is included in every rate, so there's no separate fuel card or receipts to track for job costing.
Charging, roadside and basic insurance included in every rate.