MOVE: Tusker directors bag EVs
Directors at contract hire and salary sacrifice providers Tusker have taken delivery of new electric vehicles as their company cars.
David Hosking, CEO, Mark Sinclair, COO and Ian Carmichael, Chief Commercial Officer, have all opted for BMW i3s, while David Brockwell, Chief Financial Officer, has chosen a Nissan Leaf.
The initiative comes at the same time as Tusker reveal a 250% increase in EV orders since promoting them to customers of their SalarySacrifice4Cars (SS4C) scheme four months ago.
Electric cars are now available to all company car drivers at all grades and to non-car eligible staff on their salary sacrifice scheme.
“We expect uptake of EVs on salary sacrifice and contract hire schemes to continue to grow this year, as more models come onto the market.”
David Hosking, Tusker
Mr Brockwell said: “We wanted a reasonable mix of EVs to enable us to compare different models, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Leaf.
“Once you have overcome any range anxiety issues, it’s a different way of driving: pleasant, smooth and quicker than I anticipated.
“I’ve driven up to 75miles on one charge and have had a home charge point installed for easy re-charging.”
Mr Sinclair added: “I absolutely love the driving experience with the i3 and, in many respects prefer it to a conventionally ICE-engined car.
“I have found it ideal for my commute to work, both in stop-start traffic and on motorways.
“From a running costs point of view, the i3 has worked out far cheaper than the 520D I was driving, with a saving of around £560 per month in BIK and fuel.
“Overall, I have found it more fun, more relaxing and more satisfying to drive.
“It is not the perfect company car for essential users who drive around the country to a number of different locations, because of the re-charging issue.
“But for a regular daily commute to work of a set and known length, it is ideal.”
Collectively, the Tusker directors expect the trend towards EVs to continue as awareness of the financial and environmental benefits increases and the charging network continues to grow.
Mr Hosking added: “Electric cars are definitely becoming more of a mainstream item in the fleet market with orders increasing day-by-day, and we have shown our commitment by opting for EVs for our executive board.
“The experience of us all has generally been a very positive one, while the increase in the number of charging stations available has certainly helped. The new charging stations in our car park have made the re-charging process very straightforward.
“We expect uptake of EVs on salary sacrifice and contract hire schemes to continue to grow this year, as more models come onto the market and awareness of the savings and practicality of EV’s grows amongst end-users in line with an expanding recharging network and infrastructure.”
