Fleet Innovations has been awarded ‘Go Ultra Low Company’ status, in recognition of its role in boosting the uptake of low/zero emission plug-in vehicles in the UK’s enterprise Fleet, company car and private motoring sectors.
Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low, said: “We want to encourage every business in the UK to follow the example set by Fleet Innovations to offer its own employees the chance to drive or own an electric vehicle. Not only does it demonstrate a commitment to a cleaner automotive future, but also delivers multiple short and long-term financial and environmental benefits for companies and their employees to enjoy. Thanks to the growing wide variety of electric and hybrid models now available and their cost-saving potential, this is a realistic and rewarding option for businesses large and small.”
With the recent government announcements to ban all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 many organisations are considering their options regarding their transition strategy and timing to make the switch to Electric Vehicle usage. The problem is it’s not always easy to know precisely how to make these key financial decisions as Fleet Innovations MD Alex Baker explains; “There is no doubt that many companies want to make the switch but there are also a large number who are not interested right now and will wait to see what happens. But they need to consider the significant OPEX & CAPEX savings potential right away as they could be missing out on thousands of pounds in savings by not making the switch earlier. It can be a complex process to understand if a driver’s regular duty roster or journey profile is suitable or not and if the savings are viable, but our CleanCar solution simplifies and automates this process for both Fleet operators, private motorists and the company car driver. By using GPS to monitor a driver’s journey profile, our automated analysis informs the ‘suitability rating” to switch to full electric or hybrid plus identifies which vehicles are best suited and most importantly, calculates the cost savings on offer. It removes the guess work and the risk”
In the recent announcements, the government also pledged to commit £255million to a fund to help UK Councils deal with pollution from diesel vehicles. Baker added “We have spoken to a few councils recently and it’s not clear to them where the money needs to be allocated in detail, however all the experts do agree that Electric Vehicles are part of the solution which is good news for the environment and the local council’s future transport operating costs. Many of them will find there are immediate cost savings to be exploited, with vehicles in their fleet & grey fleet that could be switched to Electric tomorrow with immediate savings of between £1000 and £3000 a year per vehicle. I would urge any local council’s who are looking at an EV policy to talk to us now so we can help them identify the quick wins in terms of both their transport operating costs and emissions reduction targets”.
2017 sales of plug-in cars have reached a record high in the UK, with 22,480 new EV’s registered in the first six months of the year, an annual increase of 14.3%. Approximately two thirds of electric vehicles bought today go to corporate and public-sector organisations – once again highlighting the important role companies play in creating a cleaner, safer environment by adopting low emission technology.
Alex Baker at Fleet Innovations summed it up by saying: “Our aim with CleanCar is perfectly aligned with the goals of the Go Ultra Low campaign. We truly believe that many people would benefit significantly from adopting Electric Vehicles today but we also know that right now they are not right for everyone. We simply try and take away the guesswork and complexity from this critical decision making process and help speed up the adoption where appropriate as well as identify the least polluting and appropriate petrol vehicle as an interim solution. It’s a classic win-win outcome.”
Fleet Innovations are the developers of the award winning CleanCar system that helps companies and drivers to fully understand the suitability and cost benefits of making the switch to electric and hybrids low/zero emission transport.
Go Ultra Low exists to help UK organisations and motorists understand the benefits, cost savings and capabilities of the raft of electric vehicles on the market. The collaborative campaign is the first of its kind, bringing together a consortium of vehicle manufacturers, Government and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
