Building a future-proofed fleet strategy

Champions of EVs would have been celebrating when the 2022 new vehicle data was released by the SMMT at the start of January, showing that electric vehicles overtook diesel in new sales for the year. But it’s important not to mistake that landmark as signalling that all is rosy on the decarbonisation journey.

Vehicle supply remains a challenge. Plus, recent Europcar research found that over 40% of motorists surveyed do not agree with the end to the exemption of vehicle excise duty in 2025. Combined with the cost-of-living pressures affecting businesses and individuals this could well dampen take-up of EV in the near future.

There’s no question, however, that it’s the corporate fleet sector where the growth in EV is expected. Indeed, the 2022 SMMT data underpins the role of business buyers. While private motorists accounted for more than half of all new vehicle registrations, fleets and business buyers were responsible for the lion’s share of battery electric vehicles, accounting for two-thirds (66.7%) of all BEV registrations and 74.7% of the volume gain in 2022.

A transition

But there are still so many ‘unknowns’ about electric motoring. So the key now is for those responsible for business vehicles – whether it’s just one or two or hundreds – to truly understand what’s the right fit for right now – as well as planning for the future. Businesses are keen to ‘try before they buy’ to really understand what electric motoring means in real world conditions. They are also keen to ensure the transition to zero doesn’t have any short-term negative impact on operations and business costs. Plus they need to manage immediate vehicle needs as fleets get older while they wait for new vehicle supply.

For all of those reasons making a steady switch, moving from older, higher polluting vehicles to low emissions and eventually to zero, is the common-sense approach being adopted by many businesses.

Supporting the sustainability journey

From low and zero emissions cars and vans to flexible on-demand vehicle solutions Europcar is helping organisations develop robust environmental policies for present and future operations. We’re also focused on offering attractive alternatives to vehicle ownership for those organisations not yet ready to move to zero.

Renting ICE vehicles when needed, rather than owning, naturally reduces mileage and the resulting environmental impact. And if the vehicle is chosen to match the needs of a specific journey, this increases efficiency and reduces unnecessary emissions from driving too big a vehicle.

And for new EV adopters, Europcar is offering a rental solution for electric that gives businesses the chance to assess the operational and commercial impact of electric vehicle use and to satisfy driver concerns. Available with no upfront deposit and commitment free, Europcar solutions for electric vehicles include a detailed vehicle handover and advice on charging as well as the option for CO2 reporting for valuable insight into emissions. Plus the Shell Recharge card and app provide access to over 10,000 publicly accessible charge points across the UK. • To find out more about how Europcar can help your organisation on your decarbonisation journey, visit www.europcar.co.uk/business/electric or call 0371 384 0140.