Electric vehicles are seeing a huge surge in popularity, for individual and business use alike. With benefits for both your business and the environment, our helpful guide is here to help prepare you to transition your business to clean, green, electric transport.
Why Transition Your Business to Electric?
With the planet in an official climate emergency, it is now more important than ever to take action to halt the progression of global warming. One way people are consciously trying to combat this is by making changes to the way they travel.
According to the Office for National Statistics, transport accounts for 28% of all UK emissions, making it the largest culprit when it comes to producing greenhouse gas.
Electric vehicles however, account for three times less emissions than those that rely on fossil fuels, and there are so many more benefits to going electric!
Firstly, we already know that they’re better for the environment, but did you know they can be better for your pocket too? With an EV, you can say goodbye to fluctuating fuel prices and congestion charges and hello to lower running costs and less maintenance fees!
If you have means of generating your own solar power, even better! Many ChargePoints allow you to use both mains and solar power to charge your vehicles, which would allow you to save even more on your running costs!
You can discover many more benefits of EVs in our round up of 8 reasons to switch to an electric vehicle.
Would an EV Transition Benefit your Business?
The first thing you should do before transitioning your business to electric transport, is assess your business needs. How many vehicles do you need? What kind of charging stations suit your needs best? Is this going to be a gradual introduction of EV, or are you starting fresh with a full fleet? There’s a lot to think about. Check out some of our other articles, full of useful tips to get you on the road to a greener future.
Investing in electric transport may seem like a costly investment to begin with, as new EVs are often more expensive than their ICE counterparts. However, when calculating the financial viability of EVs for your business, you should factor in the long-term running and maintenance costs too.
The UK government is trying to encourage more drivers to switch to EV, in order to help us meet our 2050 Net Zero targets. This is why they have introduced a number of financial incentives to benefit EV drivers. For example, EVs are currently exempt from road tax, as they do not produce any tailpipe emissions. They are also free to travel through Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) with no charge. This could result in significant savings, particularly if your business is situated in a large city, or you are required to travel through large cities on a regular basis.
There are also potential savings to be made when it comes to maintenance costs. EVs have fewer moving parts than ICE vehicles, so there is less opportunity for things to go wrong and costly repairs to be needed. However, it is important to make sure your EV is kept up to date with annual MOTs and services.
In addition to financial considerations and benefits, introducing EVs also has the potential to impact your brand image for the better, as well as push you towards your CSR goals and help the planet. On average, EVs produce around 17-30% lower carbon emissions than ICE vehicles, even when charged using grid electricity, and this can be lowered even more when using green energy. By demonstrating this to your customers, not only will you be supporting your CSR goals, but you will also be appealing to potential customers who are more eco-conscious.
For smaller businesses, the thought of a complete re-map of your business transport may seem somewhat daunting, so it may be better to start off small. Even if you’re not ready to go totally electric, you could try introducing charge points for staff and customers to begin with. That way, you can start generating extra income, while ensuring you already have the infrastructure in place when it’s time to start introducing EVs.
Installing EV ChargePoints at your Business
Installing EV ChargePoints is a great place to start on your EV journey. Not only can these be used to charge your company vehicles, but they will also encourage your staff to go electric too.
Perhaps you could offer discounted charging for employees as a perk of the job? Not only will your EV-driving staff have peace of mind knowing that they will be leaving work fully charged but they will be leaving work knowing that they’re saving money on their running costs and working for a business that values both their staff and the environment.
If you choose to offer paid-for charging for your employees, you might want to consider a salary sacrifice scheme to help cover any maintenance and running costs incurred.
Depending on the type of business you operate, you could also rent out ChargePoints to customers. This offers them the convenience of being able to charge their vehicles on the go, while encouraging them to spend more time on your premises. Not only does this boost your business’s appeal, but it also allows you to generate an extra stream of income, so that profits made from customer charging can be used to feed back into your electric transition.
Types of EV Chargers for Businesses
So, you’ve decided to install ChargePoints on your premises, but do you know which type of ChargePoint to go for? There are different types offering different ways to charge and different speeds of charging.
For example, you will need to consider whether you want to install tethered or untethered ChargePoints. Tethered chargers tend to be more expensive than their untethered counterparts but are more convenient than users needing to have their own charger. On the other hand, untethered chargers are smaller and look neater than tethered chargers and give users the flexibility to use their preferred charging cable. The speed of your EV charger is also something you should consider. If your chargers are going to be charging your company vehicles overnight, a fast charger (around 7kWh) may be the best option for you, as they can charge an average-sized EV in around eight hours. However, if you are going to be offering charging as a service for customers, you might want to consider rapid or ultra-rapid charging, so customers can power up for short periods of time while visiting your business.
Electric Fleets for Business
If your business uses fleets, switching to electric may be a big financial investment, but it could save you money in the long run. If you have a large fleet, it may be beneficial to start out with just a few electric vehicles and monitor the cost of running them to compare to your existing fuel-based fleets.
Another thing to consider when using electric fleets, is the route your vehicles are going to take. If they are driving long distances, they may need to be charged along the way. It is worth planning your routes to ensure you get the most out of each charge and pass enroute charging where needed.
Electric fleets also provide an opportunity to advertise your green credentials. Many businesses such as DPD and Tesco now advertise their switch to electric on the sides of their delivery vans. This is a great way to promote positive brand perception, and show your commitment to sustainability.
Check What Support You May Be Eligible For
The UK government are pushing now more than ever for people to switch to electric vehicles. One of the ways they are doing this is by offering incentives and support schemes.
You may be able to apply for a grant towards the installation of new EV chargepoints, such as the WCS (Workplace Charging Scheme) which allows businesses to claim up to £350 towards the cost of installing a charge point.
Once you have applied for a grant, just let your installer know, so they can factor this into your quote.
When purchasing new electric vehicles that will only be used for business use (not for personal use), you may be able to claim VAT back from HMRC, but this is subject to specific criteria.
Where to start
If you’re ready to make the switch to electric transport, we can help. At Yü Charge, we offer professional EV charge point installation services, to help you get on the road to a greener future. Request your no-obligation EV charger installation quote now.
For enquiries about charge point installation, fill out our contact us form or email us at ev-sales@yucharge.co.uk