EVs Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Fleet Summit
Posts Tagged :

EVs

WhichEV Awards 2023 – And the winners are…

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

By James Morris, WhichEV

The relentless growth in the EV market has continued in 2022. In September 2021, battery EVs had a 15.2% share of the market. In September 2022, this had risen to 16.9%. The increase is even more pronounced when you look at the Year-to-Date, with a 9.5% share this time last year, and 14.5% up to September 2022. This 40.3% increase in EV share year-on-year is the only truly positive from an auto market that continues to be beset by supply chain issues.

This healthy growth has occurred despite the UK plug-in grant being cancelled entirely in June. Premium EVs had been ineligible for some time, without significant negative impact on sales. Underlining this has been the performance of the Tesla Model Y, which was the second best-selling car of all fuel types in September, and even managed to be the eighth best-selling for the year-to-date. It’s clear that the era of the BEV is fast arriving. So although we still haven’t reached the long-awaited price parity with petrol and diesel, demand is high.

To help you choose yours, we looked at the EVs released in the last 12 months that we think should dominate the coming year’s sales, to create our annual Awards listing. Read on to find the best EVs to buy in 2023….

Click here to read the full story…

Mer: A true partnership approach

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

When investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, it is important to get it right first time. Making the correct choices in terms of charge point capabilities and their support package will save you a lot of money in the long run.

At Mer we take a true partnership approach, meaning that we work with you every step of the way, to ensure that your EV charging points properly support your transition to ultra-low emission vehicles:

Site surveys

Our experts carry out detailed site surveys to determine what infrastructure is best for you and how you can overcome any limitations on power availability.

Charger specification

We ensure you get the right chargers for you, whether that is fast chargers for overnight or top-up charging, or rapid chargers for faster turnarounds. You can even set tariffs for employees and visitors using your charge points.

Grant support

We can help you access subsidies towards the cost of your charging infrastructure, such as the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme. After you’ve filled in a few basic details, we can do the rest for you.

Aftersales service

Get superb insights into your charging infrastructure through our Mer Connect platform, providing data on usage, plus alerts if there are any issues with your charge points. We also provide comprehensive technical support packages.

Case Study: Milk & More

Milk & More is the UK’s biggest online doorstep milk delivery firm. The company needed a charge point strategy to support the introduction of electric vans into its fleet. The company tasked Mer with helping them create a programme to roll out charging infrastructure for these new vans.

Mer implemented a scoping exercise to fully understand the vans’ duty cycles and available down time for recharging – and carried out site surveys to assess local grid capacity. With most vehicles back at base from 8am to 11pm, Mer calculated that 7kW charging points would comfortably provide a full recharge for every vehicle, while still operating within each site’s power parameters.

The entire network is connected to Mer’s operating system, which gives Milk & More real-time visibility on energy consumed and which charge points are in use. It also acts as an early warning system for fault detection.

In total the Mer has installed over 200 charge points across five cities for Milk & More. Mer also helped its client access the Workplace Charging Scheme grant to subsidise costs.

Mark Chapman, electric fleet support specialist at Milk & More, said: “They have been a partner of ours from the very beginning. The team had a clear understanding of the direction of our fleet strategy and provided us with invaluable information to get us started as we moved to our new fleet. From providing charging for our very first vehicles in 2018 through to supporting us with additional infrastructure as our fleet continues to grow, they have been an important part of our journey.”

To find out more about how Mer can help your business electrify, visit https://uk.mer.eco/fleet

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Future proof your fleet with SMS!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

With a mission to deliver the future of smart energy, SMS has been at the heart of the UK energy market for over 26 years. Providing a complete energy service, SMS funds, installs, operates and manages carbon reduction assets, including smart meters, EV charge points and battery storage systems, which facilitate a smarter, greener and more flexible energy system

The UK Government’s ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars has been brought forward to 2030, meaning the time to start your EV journey is now. Our expertise in delivering electrical infrastructure, our nationwide installation, operation and maintenance capabilities, and our independent hardware-agnostic approach makes SMS the perfect partner for your EV charging requirements.

SMS can support your facilities management objectives and future-proof your business by providing the benefit of EV charging for employees both in the workplace and at home. Not only can we fully fund the roll-out of EV chargepoints to your entire business, we can also offer a dedicated metering solution in domestic settings meaning EV charging costs are billed to you direct, are accurate and will have no impact on your employees. That is a  huge advantage as it negates the need for expense claims at a time when cost of living is of paramount concern and gives your business a lower nationwide cost for all your EV charging.

Other benefits of our EV Charging solution include a Fleet Module that provides detailed reporting, billing, history and the location of your entire fleet simultaneously. Our unique Fleet App enables simple and straightforward access to nationwide charging through roaming, and Fleet Manager’s can choose which networks drivers can use, providing cost management tools and useful driver support such as directions to the nearest, approved charge point.

Place your trust in a company with proven heritage in infrastructure, energy efficiency and asset management, so you can be sure we’ll always be here to help. That includes full maintenance and warranty management, should you wish.

Visit our website for more information: www.sms-plc.com/evcharging

Email: evcharging@sms-plc.com

Tel: Mark Winn, +44 7376 490 650

Come and see us at The Fleet Summit event, 7-8th November.

The WhichEV Review: MG4 EV 2022

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

By James Morris, WhichEV

Despite demand for diesel shrinking at rates close to 50% year on year, while demand for battery electric vehicles grows by close to 60%, one thing has plagued EVs has been ‘affordability at the point of purchase’

Largely, this has been down to battery tech, but the number of manufacturers competing for the buyer’s money, is also a factor

Looking at the publicly available data up to the start of August 2022, there were around 140 EV models on offer in the UK – with a further 36 products planned for the near future

One of those that has just launched is the brand new MG4 EV, with very attractive external styling and a full range of driver-comfort features

In a world where the average price of a new EV in the UK is just over £52,000 – the MG4 starts at a very respectable £26,000

The average WLTP range of EVs on offer today is 210 miles – so the 280 mile maximum range of the MG4 makes it stand out and it is able to pick up charge at the rate of 135kW from a public DC charger

What really makes this car stand out is the lease price

Without too much effort, you can see business leases starting at just £210 per month + vat:-

https://www.britanniacarleasing.co.uk/car-leasing/mg-motor-uk/mg4-hatchback/mg4-ev-hatch-5dr-elec-51kwh-125kw-170ps-se-5dr-auto-311094-1248050000?source=WhichEV

From a Fleet Manager’s perspective, that makes the MG4 a highly viable option when transitioning your employees to the new fuel technology

You can read/watch the full review on WhichEV here…   https://www.whichev.net/2022/08/26/mg4-ev-2022-review/

A true partnership approach

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

When investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, it is important to get it right first time. Making the right choices in terms of charge point capabilities and their support package will save you a lot of money in the long run.

At Mer we take a true partnership approach, meaning that we work with you every step of the way, to ensure that your EV charging points properly support your transition to ultra-low emission vehicles.

Site surveys

Our experts carry out detailed site surveys to determine what infrastructure is best for you and how you can overcome any limitations on power availability.

Charger specification

We ensure you get the right chargers for you, whether that is fast chargers for overnight or top-up charging, or rapid chargers for faster turnarounds. You can even set tariffs for employees and visitors using your charge points.

Grant support

We can help you access subsidies towards the cost of your charging infrastructure, such as the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme. After you’ve filled in a few basic details, we can do the rest for you.

Aftersales service

Get superb insights into your charging infrastructure through our Mer Connect platform, providing data on usage, plus alerts if there are any issues with your charge points. We also provide comprehensive technical support packages.

Call us today

To find out more about how we can help your business, call us on 03300 562 562, email sales.uk@mer.eco, or download our Fleet Managers Guide to Electrification at https://uk.mer.eco/fleet.  

4 of the key challenges facing fleet electrification

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

With less than a decade to go until sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles are banned throughout the UK, now is a critical time for fleet operators working towards their net zero goals to look ahead to their electric future.

However, preparing to transition a fleet to EVs comes with plenty of stumbling blocks, and many businesses are currently unsure of their readiness to make the switch. The challenges are multi-layered, with all areas of fleet operations impacted by the adoption of electric vehicles, from finance and procurement to maintenance and productivity.

There is also the issue of misinformation, with many myths and knowledge gaps surrounding the topic of fleet electrification. Lightfoot set out to discover how complex an issue the transition to EVs is for the fleet industry, surveying fleet operators from a range of fields to identify the key challenges facing UK fleets today.

To discover the biggest concerns, read the full story at Lightfoot.co.uk

All your EV questions answered by WhichEV

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

The editorial team over at WhichEV have built a monthly audience of more than 1.2 million readers and they are in regular contact with their community across a range of social media platforms. As the number of electric vehicles in the UK approaches the 1million mark – with pure electric making up half of that number – more and more people are asking questions.

WhichEV has launched a new section on its site, called EV Answers. Twelve articles have already gone live with over 20 more due to go live in the coming weeks.

What kind of questions are answered?  Well, the section covers things like a detailed installation of a charger and all that entails, information about how long it will take to charge, where you can get accurate data (you can trust) about climate change and whether the National Grid can cope with the nation moving to EVs.

The team are also keen to hear any suggestions you may have, so please feel free to email their editor using james@whichev.net if you’d like a particular questions answered.

Read more here: https://www.whichev.net/category/ev-answers/

Charging your EV at home: Everything you need to know

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:
By WhichEV
As the pace picks up in the (r)evolution from fossil fuel to electric vehicles, one question get asked more than any other: How can I charge my EV?
Commercial haulage operations will almost certainly need to have full charging stations installed at their key bases. This is something that companies like Renault Volvo and DAF will build into a complete quote for electrifying your company’s transportation system.
For travelling sales people and executives, a lot of the time they will be able to charge at home overnight but – when they are out and about – they may need to be part of a charging network like Juice from Octopus. That will allow them to get the best rates across thousands of different charging points (including very high speed chargers from Osprey etc) while helping your accounts team to stay in control of costs and the processing of expenses.
Whether you are charging for a personal or business vehicle the principles remain the same and you can find out more in this article…

With the Government pushing the UK ever closer to an electric future, can the grid cope?

 960 640 Guest Post
By:

By Pulkit Malhotra, WhichEV

The short answer is yes – but there are some factors at play in that reply.

The obvious things include the way we light our homes and buildings.

When we were kids, it was normal to have 60w bulbs around the house and 100w in the kitchen/other areas where more light was needed.

Then we went through the low energy/halogen phase – and now have 5-10w LEDs that are bright enough to make you squint.

Similarly, on the roads, the massive sodium street lights of yesterday have been replaced with daylight-bright LED – further reducing load.

Upshot?

Compared to the UK’s peak demand in 2005 – we are now down around 20% on that figure.

PLUS: Most EVs will be charged (most of the time) overnight, when rates are cheaper.

Click here to read the full story.

UK firms embark on in £13.6bn EV investment drive

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

UK businesses are set to adopt more than 163,000 electric vehicles (EVs) this year as part of a major investment in fleet electrification.

According to a new study by Centrica Business Solutions, the increase would see over a third (35%) more business operated EVs on the road by the end of 2022, compared to the 121,000 registered by firms last year.

The research also found businesses spent £11.6bn on EVs and supporting infrastructure in 2021 and are planning a 15% spending increase over the next year, taking the total investment in fleet electrification to £13.6bn.

The majority of fleet operating businesses (62%) said they expect to operate a 100% electric fleet within the next four years, comfortably ahead of the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles.

More than four in ten (44%) said they had increased the number of EVs in their fleet over the last 12 months.

Key drivers for take up include meeting sustainability targets (59%), demand from employees (45%) and pressure from customers to be more environmentally friendly (43%).

Despite the record levels of planned investment, almost two thirds (63%) of businesses are worried about accessing public charging points to keep their fleet moving.

To overcome the charging challenge, almost half (48%) of firms have installed EV charging points at their premises, with more than a third (36%) planning to invest in on-site charging infrastructure in the next 12 months.

The research also revealed that two fifths (40%) of businesses have invested in renewable energy generation technology such as solar panels to power their fleets, while a further two fifths (43%) plan to do so in the year ahead.

Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions said: “The UK continues to make significant inroads towards achieving its electric vehicle ambitions and it’s encouraging to see UK businesses prioritising investment in the journey towards electrification over the next 12 months.

“Businesses will continue to play a vital role in achieving the UK’s green transport ambitions, but with a record number of EVs expected to enter the UK this year, we must ensure the supply of vehicles and wider charging infrastructure is robust enough to meet the demand. Combining energy technology such as solar panels and battery storage into the wider charging infrastructure will help harness renewables and reduce the demand on the grid during peak charging times.”

The report is available to download here.