Although the Physics Van does not provide a large-scale, comprehensive professional development program that some other programs provide, it does provide an extremely viable way to encourage inquiry-based science in the high school physics classroom. It can therefore be an attractive alternative for teachers not able or not willing to engage in major course-wide revisions. It can also be implemented as a professional development offering at smaller colleges and universities, which may not be able to conduct large-scale programs that demand substantial resources.

It is important to note that even teachers who want to modify their instruction by incorporating more inquiry in the classroom often want to do this in small steps. The Physics Van may therefore provide a first step for teachers who are moving toward larger scale revisions.