A persistent knowledge gap, coupled with common misconceptions, is holding fleets back from the transition to electric vehicles…
EV Knowledge Gap
A new survey has revealed that there’s a significant knowledge gap amongst fleets when it comes to electric vehicles. Carried out by Aston University, on behalf of Fleet Evolution, it discovered the widespread persistence of a number of myths; especially concerning charging and costs associated with the vehicles. They survey included the perspectives of around 10,000 HR and fleet professionals, as well as drivers.
It was found that 36% of the respondents felt that cost was the main barrier to adopting electrification. A further 28% cited range-anxiety and 25% cited a lack of public charging infrastructure. A lack of knowledge concerning chargers was widespread across all of the respondents. For instance, 67% of them said they didn’t live within five minutes of one. However, analysis of postcodes revealed that 40% of these had one or more charge points within a five-minute walk of the locations.
There’s a lot of lingering ignorance concerning operating costs, too. Asked to guess the cost of travelling a 1,000 electric miles in an EV, most respondents said ‘£50’. The actual answer, however, is closer to £20. Worryingly, 26.7% of the respondents said they’d try to buy new ICE vehicle after the government’s ban in 2030 was introduced.
‘Staggering’
Andrew Leech, Fleet Evolution’s founder, was dismayed that a quarter of the respondents said they’d never transition to EVs. He said, “this is rather at odds with the Government’s decision to embrace an all-electric future as laid out in its Road to Zero strategy; as it strives to achieve net zero by 2050. It was disappointing that cost was still seen as the major barrier to more widespread EV adoption given the wider availability of more affordable electric models”.
He continued, “there also seemed to be a genuine lack of awareness that an EV acquired under a corporate salary sacrifice scheme is extremely cost and tax efficient; given the current tax regime which is highly beneficial for electric cars. Not only are EV salary sacrifice schemes extremely advantageous for the driver, they bring multiple benefits to the employer; including National Insurance savings, reduced grey fleet risk and a marked reduction in carbon footprint.”
The Government Is Being Sued Over Its Net-Zero Strategy – https://autoservefleet.co.uk/latest-news/the-government-is-being-sued-over-its-net-zero-strategy/
Toyota Plans To Remanufacture Cars Up To Three Times In UK – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/toyota-plans-to-remanufacture-cars-up-to-three-times-in-uk/
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