How TMC is helping fleets keep abreast of shift to plug-in drivetrains.
Chargemaster is predicting that the number of plug-in cars on UK roads will hit 200,000 in 2018 and pass the one million mark by the end of 2020.
The next 12 months also see several new and updated plug-in models arrive on the fleet market, headed by the latest Nissan Leaf in February.
As well as featuring even higher levels of intelligent driver assistance, for motorway driving and parking, than Nissan’s current ICE ranges, the new Leaf’s larger 40kWh battery is good for a range between 150 and 230 miles (depending on which official test standard is applied).
We’re seeing constant improvement in the cost and practicality of ultra-low emission motoring. List prices for current popular EV models are perhaps 30% lower than their predecessors, while their range has pretty much doubled.
At the same time, the business case for adopting EVs on fleet is strengthening all the time. In Fleet News’s first reader poll of 2018, managers rank their top three challenges for the year as company car tax, air quality and pump prices.
Might the answer be a vehicle that attracts 5% BIK1; which is exempt from all proposed congestion and T-charges, and only costs around 3 pence per mile to fuel? On the face of it, it’s a pretty watertight argument for deploying plug-ins.
Already, fleets are showing that committed deployment of EVs can be popular as well as delivering savings in costs and carbon emissions.
But as we all know, decisions around EVs are still rarely straightforward in the real world of range limitations, charging-infrastructure and (crucially) genuine comparisons of like-for-like Total Costs of Mobility between ICEs, hybrids and pure plug-ins.
One of TMC’s roles is helping customers navigate these issues with robust data and advice. For example, with our ability to capture detailed journey information and our unparalleled database of real-world fleet fuel costs, we can identify where an ULEV vehicle could be used by analysing the journeys existing vehicles make.
From supporting decisions on EV, hybrid and ICE policy options to managing reimbursement across different fuels and drivetrains; analysing total mobility costs and reporting carbon reductions, or ensuring your driver-related processes comply with tax and Duty of Care rules, our products can help you stay abreast of the UK’s steady progress towards that one million-EV milestone.
- Based on HMRC CCT rates from 2019-20
