The firm has placed an initial order for two Nissan Leafs, shortly to be followed by a further model from a different manufacturer for comparison purposes.

Hitachi Capital will also install charging points at its Newbury and Trowbridge offices, enabling staff to use the onsite pool of EVs for carbon-neutral commutes between sites and to customer offices that are either "in range" or have charging facilities. In addition, customers with EVs on their fleet will be invited to use the charging points as required.

The company says that the move complements its commitment to working with its customers to evaluate EVs and identify how these can be incorporated into their own fleets. With the latter, Hitachi Capital will be supporting customers in their own trials by assisting them with subsidised funding options for co-branded vehicles.

'I am a great believer in leading by example, and if we are to encourage our customers to run more environmentally-efficient fleets we should be practising what we preach. It also means our advice will be based on actual practice rather than theory,' explained Simon Oliphant, chief executive at Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions. 'Our willingness to support customers financially with EV trials also demonstrates our true commitment.'

Mr Oliphant continued: 'It is our pledge to always invest in the latest technology to ensure fleet managers have the resources and equipment they need to run an efficient fleet. Hitachi Capital has always been committed to sustainable development, demonstrated by our position as the first leasing provider to gain the ISO 14001 certification. Being an action orientated business, we demonstrate our commitment to the environment by actually doing something to minimise our impact on it.'