Addison Lee and Green Tomato Cars choose Volkswagen for fully electric fleet switch

Addison Lee has formed a strategic alliance with Volkswagen as part of a plan to go all-electric by 2023, while London rival Green Tomato Cars has taken delivery of the first of 100 electric cars from the German automaker.

Addison Lee has chosen the Volkswagen ID.4, recently chosen as 2021 World Car of the Year, to begin its transition to a fully electric fleet. Over the next two years, Addison Lee will invest £160 million to shift its 4,000 strong fleet to electric. The process will begin in November 2021, and from then, 200 fully electric vehicles will join the fleet every month. The commitment is the largest single order of electric vehicles in the private hire industry.

Meanwhile Green Tomato Cars has opted for the slightly smaller ID.3 as its EV flagship, with the first five of an initial 100 cars arriving at its offices last week. “We’ve bought them outright,” said Joe Bitran, head of Travelhire group, which owns both Green Tomato Cars and Brunel. The first cars have been delivered and are already in service with employee drivers at the wheel.

They will replace a fleet of BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid MPVs, which were only acquired in the past 12 months to replace Green Tomato Cars’ Toyota Prius fleet, as from October 25 even PHEVs lose their congestion charge exemption, so the only way is pure electric. “They’re going to start costing us £15 a day from October 25 because of the C- charge,” Bitran said.

He added: “We’ll be fully zero emissions by Q2 next year in all categories except MPV. All our standard cars will be zero-emissions by the end of the year.” Green Tomato Cars also has 70 Toyota Mirai hydrogen-electric cars, and these will remain.

Green Tomato Cars managing director Jonny Goldstone said the ID.3 is the right solution at the moment – though with increasing numbers of EVs being launched that might change. Goldstone said the ID.3 was a better option than the larger ID.4, which has been selected by rival Addison Lee as its zeroemission car. “You can’t get more passengers in – there’s a tiny bit more leg space and luggage room, but it’s massively more expensive, and we think the carbon footprint of building it is bigger.”

Meanwhile, Addison Lee’s switch to EVs will help build on its existing carbon neutrality and will establish the firm as the leading green transport provider in London, the company said.

Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said: “Over the years, we have invested in our vehicles and technology to ensure we do all we can to make London a greener place. We are now going even further, by partnering with Volkswagen to invest in a rapid transition to electric.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps welcomed the move, saying: “As we continue working tirelessly to decarbonise our transport network, I am thrilled to see Addison

Lee lead the way through pledging to electrify their fleet by 2023. This Government has committed to reach net zero by 2050.”

To deliver on its commitments, Addison Lee has invested into a Future of Mobility Fund, which will provide £3.5 million to support drivers with charging infrastructure. The fund will be used by Addison Lee to invest in key areas for a greener London, including the firm’s transition to electric vehicles, carbonoffsetting for non-electric vehicles while the transition is underway, and environmental projects in London.

Addison Lee has also vowed to play an active role in bolstering the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and supporting drivers with access to charge points, which are both critical to the success of a full fleet transition to electric.

Griffin said: “We know that there is strong appetite from passengers, businesses and drivers for electrification, but there is still more to do to ensure that the right infrastructure is in place to overcome the unique challenges around transitioning fleets. We are leading the industry in making electric vehicles viable for large fleet operations and have found innovative ways to support drivers with their charging needs.”

Volkswagen UK’s head of fleet Nick O’Neill said: “We have a strong and positive relationship with Addison Lee. Over 1,000 vehicles have been provided in recent years and we understand the high demands the company places upon all the cars in its fleet. That Addison Lee has chosen the ID.4 as its initial route to large scale electrification is a huge vote of confidence in this exceptional new car, the support available via Volkswagen UK, and the quality of our brand.”