Is your company aiming to convert its fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its five or ten-year roadmap? If so, have you calculated the cost and secured buy-in from your drivers?
If you have decided you’re going to make your company’s vehicles electric, the next step is to gain acceptance from the people driving them.
This is especially true if you want to go electric now or in the near future: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) make up only 6.6 per cent of the UK auto market, while plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) make up 4.1 per cent. Despite accounting for nearly one out of every ten vehicles sold, they may appear to be a niche concern, at least until the absolute prohibition on new internal combustion vehicle sales takes place in 2030. So, how do you persuade your drivers to switch to electric vehicles (EVs)?
1) Show the price advantage
As your employees may be concerned that you are making a huge investment that may not pay off, especially if you sustained losses during the pandemic, you would need a clear understanding of the costs and benefits of transitioning to electric. It will help if you are as open as possible about the costs: try writing down how much you intend to spend and how much you anticipate fuel cards will save you money.
You can point out the benefits your employees will also receive and what’s in it for them. The cost of taxation for a company car is lower than petrol cars: 0% for the current tax year, then 1% the following year, and 2% the next year. They will save money if they pay for their own fuel when driving vehicles for personal usage.
2) Let your drivers know what working practices will change
Most of the time, your drivers won’t notice the difference between their new EV and its gasoline-powered predecessor. Still, there will be a few changes to their workday as a result of the transition.
Charging will be the most obvious transition. Your organisation may be fortunate enough to be able to keep your vehicles overnight in a charging area. Still, if your vehicles are maintained at employees’ homes or in non-charging places, they will need to schedule charging time. Although charging an EV, particularly a van or HGV, is much faster than it was previously, it can take hours, so preparations should be made to provide time for charging or to provide charging facilities.
3) Explain how your drivers will be affected
If some of your employees have been given corporate cars to use outside of work, they will need to adjust to a new charging system and paying for fuel. They’ll be eligible for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which will save them £350 on a home EV charging station. You’ll have to figure out whether they or your company will cover the rest, as well as how to compensate them for any additional charges or electricity usage.
Now that you have started to think about following a more efficient approach to your fleet and the future of electric vehicles, why not get in touch with us today if you have any queries.
