A Beginner’s Guide to Electric Vehicle Fleets & Charging

Switching to an electric vehicle fleet is becoming increasingly popular for businesses across the UK. However, given that electric vehicles have only been around for a few years, it’s understandable that many business owners and managers have a number of questions.

In this post, we’ll aim to clea­r things up with our beginner’s guide to electric vehicle fleets and how to charge them.

The benefits of electric vehicle fleets

First and foremost, what’s the point in an electrical vehicle fleet? It actually has a number of benefits for businesses:

• Zero emissions – With no tail-pipe emissions, you can cut your company’s contribution to climate change and add a green aspect to your brand when people see your electric vehicles on the road.
• Reduced running costs – At an average of 4p per mile, it’s cheaper to run an electric vehicle than it would be to fill a conventionally fuelled alternative with petrol or diesel. There’s also no road tax, with electric vehicles exempt from April 2020.
• Convenient – Being able to charge your own electric vehicle fleet on site means you can simply charge vehicles when they’re not in use, then hit the road whenever they’re needed. No time wasted visiting fuel stations.

How much does electric vehicle fleet charging cost?

It’s more affordable than you might think to charge your own electric vehicle fleet on site. The exact cost of installation depends on a number of factors, including the type of charging points and the number required.

However, that cost is made much more affordable with the Workplace Charging Scheme. In short, you could be entitled to £350 per charging point, up to a total of 40 sockets. That’s as much as £14,000 towards the initial installation.

After installation, you’re simply left with the cost of charging the vehicles themselves. As mentioned, this is typically over 50% cheaper than running a petrol or diesel vehicle, depending on the cost of electricity and fuel.

Is it right for my business?

The final consideration is whether an electric vehicle fleet (and on-site charging) is right for your business. Generally speaking, it’s a resounding yes. Electric vehicles are cheaper, better for the environment and more convenient if you have your own chargers.

However, there is an issue for some businesses when it comes to range. Electric vehicles typically need to be recharged after around 180 miles. If your employees are regularly clocking up more than that in a single working day, electric vehicles might not currently be the best fit until the technology advances.

Otherwise, electric vehicles take four hours (fast charge) to eight hours (slow charge) for a full charge, so most businesses will be able to recharge vehicles between shifts or overnight.

Electric vehicle fleet charging in Leeds

If you’re looking to make the move to an electric fleet, on-site vehicle charging is a must for your business. At Volta Compliance, we help businesses throughout Leeds and the UK make the most of the Workplace Charging Scheme with OZEV-approved EV charger installation.

To find out more, simply contact our team on 0113 436 0402 or email [email protected].