Front and centre
One of the many highlights of April’s Great British Fleet Event was the Masterclass conference. Offering advice, guidance and real-life examples of running fleets, the sessions featured plenty of chat about electric vehicles. By John Challen
Addressing a packed audience, speakers in the second session of this year’s Great British Fleet Event’s Masterclass conference covered the subject of electric vehicles.
Kicking things off was Elizabeth Culwick, deputy head of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), who talked about funding and regulations and the framework required in the transition to EVs. She pointed out that the UK government’s targets for 2035 and 2050 are ambitious, but also achievable. The approach to decarbonisation and, ultimately, net zero, would “help cement the UK’s role as a leader in design and manufacture of electric vehicles”, according to Culwick.
OZEV’s spokesperson went on to state that 16.6% of cars sold in 2022 were BEVs. She acknowledged that they cost more, but reminded the audience that grants had been offset to cover the cost of such price hikes. Importantly, Culwick added that grants were still in place for some commercial vehicles, taxis and motorcycles, as well as the van grant, which will run until 2024/5.
When it came to EV infrastructure, Culwick said that the Government’s strategy would help improve the rollout and stressed there was a commitment to make charging cheaper, and more convenient than using a fuel station.
She stated that more than 720 charge points were being added to the network every month. To help with the transition, Culwick said there would be further government investment in three key areas when it came to charging: consumer experience, local charger rollout and charging anxiety. On the latter point, she acknowledged that more rapid chargers were needed as well as an upgrade to the electricity grid.
Next up was Dan Lawrence-Eyre, co-founder and COO of diode. His aim for the day was to show how switching to EVs could be simplified – telling the audience he’d learned a lot from his time in the automotive sector, but also in the worlds of banking and energy.
According to Lawrence-Eyre, there are four Es to simplifying the switch to EVs. The first one is to engage. “You need to get a driver’s attention by asking the right questions,” he advised. “People generally don’t like being told what to do by their employer, so get involved in the journey.”
The next ‘E’ is to educate, he said. Drivers can overcome barriers with the help of personal insights, such as offering information on access to charging and by finding out what they actually need to ensure no range anxiety. Lawrence-Eyre also said that laying out the cost-saving information involved in the shift to EVs helps.
The third ‘E’ was to empower – specifically, giving drivers the confidence of an informed choice. Fleet managers should allow driver to compare costs of each vehicle, he said, as well as looking at the convenience of charging and the technical spec of shortlisted products.
Finally, the diode COO called on fleet managers to ‘enable’ the switch from ICE to EV for any driver to be done as efficiently as possible. “Allow them to put all the options in one place, compare the various options and look at all the ecosystems, such as charging tariffs,” he recommended.
Next up was Dan Lawrence-Eyre, co-founder and COO of diode. His aim for the day was to show how switching to EVs could be simplified – telling the audience he’d learned a lot from his time in the automotive sector, but also in the worlds of banking and energy.
According to Lawrence-Eyre, there are four Es to simplifying the switch to EVs. The first one is to engage. “You need to get a driver’s attention by asking the right questions,” he advised. “People generally don’t like being told what to do by their employer, so get involved in the journey.”
The next ‘E’ is to educate, he said. Drivers can overcome barriers with the help of personal insights, such as offering information on access to charging and by finding out what they actually need to ensure no range anxiety. Lawrence-Eyre also said that laying out the cost-saving information involved in the shift to EVs helps.
The third ‘E’ was to empower – specifically, giving drivers the confidence of an informed choice. Fleet managers should allow driver to compare costs of each vehicle, he said, as well as looking at the convenience of charging and the technical spec of shortlisted products.
Finally, the diode COO called on fleet managers to ‘enable’ the switch from ICE to EV for any driver to be done as efficiently as possible. “Allow them to put all the options in one place, compare the various options and look at all the ecosystems, such as charging tariffs,” he recommended.
“Joel Teague, CEO of Co-Charger reassured delegates that it was OK to not have all the answers when it comes to knowing the right path to an EV fleet”
The third speaker in the electric vehicle session at GBFE’s Masterclass was eLCV consultant Paul Kirby. He told the audience how he had set up his new business – EV Essentials – to give a voice to vans, especially as fleets are looking to transition to EVs.
“It’s not the same as cars,” he told delegates. “We’re all involved in the van industry, even if we don’t run them on a fleet, because we rely on deliveries all the time.”
Kirby pointed out that there were just over six years to create a new way forward for transport, warning that it was so much more involved than merely replacing the odd ICE-powered van with an EV.
He also highlighted the importance of considerations such as air quality, making reference to Ella’s Law, which is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who died from asthma induced by air pollution. Examples such as that, Kirby said, put things into perspective.
Getting back to the vehicles themselves, he said he was pleased to see the plethora of electric vans that had entered the market in the previous 18 months. With more options available for drivers and fleets, it meant that drivers could think about things differently and find a model that suited them and their needs more easily. On a related note, Kirby closed by reminding the audience about the importance of total cost of ownership (TCO) and to really carefully consider how the vehicles would be used and charged.
The third speaker in the electric vehicle session at GBFE’s Masterclass was eLCV consultant Paul Kirby. He told the audience how he had set up his new business – EV Essentials – to give a voice to vans, especially as fleets are looking to transition to EVs.
“It’s not the same as cars,” he told delegates. “We’re all involved in the van industry, even if we don’t run them on a fleet, because we rely on deliveries all the time.”
Kirby pointed out that there were just over six years to create a new way forward for transport, warning that it was so much more involved than merely replacing the odd ICE-powered van with an EV.
He also highlighted the importance of considerations such as air quality, making reference to Ella’s Law, which is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who died from asthma induced by air pollution. Examples such as that, Kirby said, put things into perspective.
Getting back to the vehicles themselves, he said he was pleased to see the plethora of electric vans that had entered the market in the previous 18 months. With more options available for drivers and fleets, it meant that drivers could think about things differently and find a model that suited them and their needs more easily. On a related note, Kirby closed by reminding the audience about the importance of total cost of ownership (TCO) and to really carefully consider how the vehicles would be used and charged.
The final speaker in the session was Joel Teague, CEO of Co-Charger who reassured delegates that it was OK to not have all the answers when it came to knowing the right path to an EV fleet. He said that hiring the right experts and using the best tools can help fleets transition from ICE vehicles.
In addition to getting help, Teague’s other top tips for fleets included: avoiding equating ‘charging’ with ‘fuelling’, and prioritising the easy changes to make while new options are being developed. He went on to remind delegates that vehicle and driver downtime can cost more than electricity and that charging ‘on duty’ can add up to £20k a year per vehicle in some cases.
As a result, he put forward the idea of community charging via Co-Charger – bolstered by a community that rents out their driveways and/or EV chargers for fleets to potentially use. Teague added that the network was to become the second largest one for electric vehicles in the UK. With 14,000 registered users – and one driver who had used Co-Charger points more than 400 times – it is an area of the market that is one to watch. It could also be a big positive in the overall UK EV charging network.
