The Carbon Concept Vehicle (CCV) will be unveiled at the CV Show in April. The van is a VW Transporter Sportline SWB with an internal storage rack constructed by Chambers Vehicle Conversions of Stafford from carbon fibre and Kevlar.

Such composites are also used in racing cars for their weight-to-strength benefits.

The standard roof rack has also been replaced with a carbon fibre version, which is half the weight of the original rack.

Compared against a conventional vehicle, the CCV boasts an extra 100kg payload.

Grahame Neagus, head of the Specialist Commercial Vehicle Unit at Lloyds TSB autolease, said: ‘Although aluminium has genuine weight advantages over steel, it’s more expensive to produce and requires a thicker profile which eats into the remaining vehicle space.

‘It was these problems which prompted us to use carbon fibre in the design of the CCV, which is a major step forward in light van operation.’