Van

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This article refers to the road vehicle. For other uses, including rail vehicles, please see Van (disambiguation)
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A van is a vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. It is generally a rather box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile, but taller and usually higher off the ground. It can either be a specially designed vehicle or be based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (pick-ups etc). Some vans can be really small, like the van versions of the Mini or can be really large like some Mercedes-Benz vans. Larger vehicles are classified as trucks or lorries.

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Word usage and etymology

The word van is a shortened version of the word caravan which originally meant a covered vehicle. In British English, this now has a similar meaning to the U.S. terms travel trailer or recreational vehicle (RV).

The word van has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word always applies to boxy cargo vans, the most major differences in usage are found between the different English-speaking countries.

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United Kingdom and Australia

British English speakers will generally refer to a passenger minivan as a people-carrier or MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), and a larger passenger van as a minibus. British people, mostly older ones, will also sometimes call a pickup truck a van, something Americans would not do. Similarly, in Australia, panel vans, RVs popular among young people in the 1970s, were based on locally-manufactured utes (short for utility, the local name for pickup).

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United States

In the United States, a van can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer used to carry goods. In this case there is a differentiation between a dry van, used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated van (a reefer) used for cold goods. A railway car used to carry baggage is also called a van. Occasionally the term van is also used to refer to a minivan. However, minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size, unibody architecture, and front wheel drive powertrains.

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Examples

The standard or full size vans in the United States were originally manufactured by the "big three": Dodge, Ford and General Motors. The frame and drive train are identical or similar to the full-sized pickups made by the each manufacturer but with a snub front, resulting in most of the engine protruding under a console between the front seats, often called a dog house. They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as cutaway van chassis versions for second stage manufacturers to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public. Dodge, now part of Daimler-Chrysler quit making their model in June of 2002 and replaced it with the Dodge Sprinter which may be due to roll-over concerns.

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Usage

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as commuter vans since 1977, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Commuter vans are used as an alternative to carpooling and other ride sharing arrangements.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances.

Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibuses.

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Criticism

Recently, the passenger versions have been criticized for having a tendency to roll over. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and powertrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further increasing the center of gravity. The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used (in the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts) and belted passengers can still lean and shift a large amount. The result is a high center of gravity and a shifting load, particularly in passenger versions. In addition, many of the drivers of passenger vans drive them infrequently. Apart from safety issues, it seems inefficient to have a high cross-sectional area and a high mass when only transporting one to two persons on average. Average heights are for:

  • Minivans 70.2 in
  • Family sedans 57.3 in
  • SUVs 70.7 in

This leads to increased energy demand and thus fuel consumption and more consumption of other resources like steel, brake blocks, oil, etc. Modular vehicle concepts and Low-energy vehicles are in preparation of avoiding those problems.

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Alternatives

For business and private in most cases the usage of trailers gives the possibility to transport bulky goods without the need to propel a heavy vehicles all the time. Utility cycling is a more extreme form of transporting goods. Here also trailer are seen. Apart from bicycle couriers, window cleaners are employing bicycles. For craftsmen in cities its also possible to use a transport service i.e. the specialists may arrive via public transport and bulky or heavy material is transported by courier services either from the same company or using courier express or parcel services. Thus parking fees and city tolling may be avoided.

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See also

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Makes of van

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
also with alternative propuslion like CNG, E85 and B100!
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Full-size vans

Chevrolet

Citroën

Dodge

Fiat

Ford

GAZ

GMC

Mazda

Mercedes-Benz

Nissan

Opel

Peugeot

Plymouth

Renault

Toyota

Volkswagen

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Mid-size vans

Chevrolet

GMC

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Minivans

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Alternative Propulsion

Since light truck are often operated in stop&go mode hybrid electric models are useful:

The follwing vehicles may be used in yards or in historic city centres:

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