The John Lewis Partnership is replacing its Home Services fleet with electric vehicles as part of its commitment to transition 4,000 cars, vans and light trucks to EV by 2030.
The Partnership is being supported by EV technology specialists Flexible Power Systems, (FPS), which is establishing a mixed charging solution incorporating depot, public network and home charging.
The trial will start next month (March 2022) and FPS will integrate data collected into a wider electrification plan for the 350 Home Services vehicles, which provide home estimating & fitting services for John Lewis. The project follows a successful joint wireless van charging trial currently underway at Waitrose at St Katharine Dock in London.
The move follows a commitment by the Partnership to have a zero fossil free fleet by 2030. By 2028 all our HGVs will be running on Biomethane and our delivery & Home Services fleet will be electrified by 2030. A fossil free fleet will give John Lewis Partnership an 80% carbon reduction versus BAU diesel and an estimated 504,000 tonnes of CO2 saving.
By 2030, the John Lewis Partnership will have electrified all cars, vans and light trucks, and for sectors where that is not currently possible, such as farm vehicles, HVO biodiesel will be used.
Kate Cosco, Product Services Field Manager, says: “This is another step along the path of the John Lewis Partnerships ambition to move completely away from fossils fuels in the fleet by 2030, saving an estimated 500,000 tonnes of CO2 between 2020 & 2030. This is a wonderful opportunity to test how electric vehicles work for us in Home Services. The team are extremely excited to get out on the road and to begin driving these new vehicles”
Managing Director of Flexible Power Systems Michael Ayres says: “Companies like The John Lewis Partnership have to electrify their fleets to combat climate change. Replacing commercial diesel fleets with electric vehicles is just one part of the picture. We need to bring together the ecosystem of chargers, power management and operational interfaces required to keep fleets serving customers efficiently.”
“Like many company car drivers, Home Services partners have a range of working patterns and living arrangements, we need to ensure we can offer a flexible and scalable charging solution to fit these needs via depot, home or public network charging.
“It’s essential to collect data through trials like this one, to inform and de-risk the very substantial decarbonisation investments in vehicles and infrastructure fleets are planning.
“One-size doesn’t fit all in fleet electrification projects. A range of operational, site and vehicle requirements need to be balanced to arrive at effective strategies.”
