Choosing the right EVs for your company fleet
Choosing the right EVs for your company fleet doesn’t need to be daunting. While fleet vehicles are a significant investment, choosing the right electric vehicle is just a case of doing some basic research and answering a few simple questions.
Electric car fleet leasing allows you to scale up as and when you need more vehicles, with scalable affordability too, and leasing company electric cars keep the maintenance burden off your shoulders.
In this guide to choosing the right EVs for your company fleet, we’ll look at some easy ways to simplify the process, as well as why the perfect electric car fleet for one business might not be suitable for another company.
Choosing The Right Electric Vehicle For Your Business
Like any addition to your fleet, not all businesses need the same type of vehicle – and the same is true of electric cars and vans. So how can you narrow down your list of options?
Track Your Existing Fleet
If you are replacing only some of an existing fleet of combustion engine vehicles, you can use telematics and other tracking to identify the best candidates to replace.
A simple example of this is the length of journeys each vehicle makes. An electric vehicle typically has a on full charge, so vehicles that routinely cover longer distances might not be candidates for a switch to fully electric.
However, you could consider green alternatives like petrol or diesel hybrid engines, which have an onboard battery but can also draw their power from the conventional fuel tank.
Cargo Capacity
If your electric vehicles will be used to transport goods, it’s worth thinking about their cargo capacity, whether that’s in a van or LGV, or the back seats and boot of an electric car.
Like a combustion engine, a fully loaded electric car or van will use more ‘fuel’ in the form of battery charge, so you’ll need to factor this into your calculations of maximum range.
Price Vs. Cost
The economic case for moving over to an all-electric company car fleet is a balancing act between the price of purchasing or leasing electric vehicles, along with any charging infrastructure you might need, set against the cost savings you can make over the full lifetime of the vehicle.
We’ll look in more detail at this below, because the cost savings of electric vehicles are a compelling part of the proposition, and can help you choose the best electric cars for your company’s fleet.
Company Fleet: How Going Electric Impacts Your Bottom Line
When you are investing in a fleet of electric company cars, you may be motivated by a desire to protect the environment or to give your employees a meaningful perk or benefit — but there is always the question of return on investment too.
Luckily, an all-electric company fleet has excellent economic credentials for your business’s bottom line, whether you buy or lease.
Not every aspect of electric vehicles will save you money – especially the upfront costs – but overall, and over the long term, your business should see significant savings compared with operating an equivalent internal combustion engine fleet.
Costs Of Electric Company Cars
Let’s get the costs out of the way, as most of them are limited to the vehicle’s initial purchase (which can be avoided by leasing instead of buying) and the installation of charge points on your premises.
Dedicated charge points are a must if you plan to run a fleet of EVs. You will need suitable on-site parking and enough chargers, if not for every vehicle in your fleet, then at least for those that are parked at your workplace for long periods of time.
Universal chargers, also called untethered chargers, are a good option for businesses. They cost slightly less than tethered charge points and can recharge both Type 1 and Type 2 EVs just by plugging in the car’s own charging cable, supplied along with the vehicle.
Benefits Of Electric Company Cars
Once you have your vehicles and charging infrastructure in place, electric fleet vehicles very quickly pay for their upfront costs in fuel savings – not to mention the convenience of being able to ‘refuel’ on-site with no need for petrol or diesel.
EVs are quiet, with low to zero emissions, so your company car park should be more peaceful, with improved air quality.
Your business may also , as you can advertise your fleet’s green credentials. This can help to attract environmentally minded employees, as well as eco-conscious customers.
The drivers of pure electric company cars can take advantage of low benefit-in-kind compared to petrol and diesel cars, meaning more money in their pocket and a great work perk!
The Final Decision
With new electric car models launching regularly and manufacturers continually improving their bestsellers, the final decision of which electric car or van is best for your business will inevitably change over time.
Like any business decision, this means you can revisit your choice each time you expand your fleet, stick with a trusted favourite model, increase your variety of vehicles, or to give your employees a mix of vans for jobs and deliveries.
Fast charging is arguably as important as overall range, as rapid charge points can have you back on the road in as little as 30 minutes, with a good percentage of the way towards a full battery charge.
How Electric Vehicle Fleet Leasing Can Help
Leasing electric vehicles for a company fleet allows you to try different models before scaling up your fleet size by leasing more of the model you like best – or the model that works best for the needs of your business.
You can also switch to newer models as they come on to the market, allowing you to avoid the upfront purchase price of new electric cars or vans on a regular basis, while still being able to benefit from their increased range, faster charging, and other ongoing improvements.
All of this comes with the return on investment of electric vehicles’ lower running costs, the reduced maintenance demand that comes from leasing cars, and ultimately a boost for your business’s bottom line.