Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK discusses how the firm’s latest research highlights UK businesses delaying fleet electrification.

Shaun Sadlier, head of the Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK

Despite the ongoing improvement of the country’s charging network, concerns over the ability to charge vehicles dominate the list of factors why some UK businesses are delaying car and van electrification.

Companies that have not yet adopted any electric vehicles were asked their reasons why in the survey. The top answer was not enough public charging points (50%) and they also listed no charging solution at an employee’s offices (40%) or at an employee’s home (35%), yet only 12% responded that employees are reluctant to drive electric vehicles.

Among fleets that are not yet considering the adoption of electric vehicles, there is one predominant concern and that relates to the perceived limitations in the charging facilities currently available. Three of the top four factors mentioned in response to this question all relate to this issue, whether it is home charging, office charging or publicly available charging. All these areas were reported as a constraint to electrification.

To some extent, fleets are correct in their assessment depending on their business requirements. However, the situation is improving quickly and we expect this to become much less of a concern over time, supported by the Government’s charging grants and private public partnerships across the country. Organisations that we are working with are already taking actions to improve access today, whether by providing workplace charging or facilitating home charging solutions, and we are also exploring opportunities to charge without infrastructure in place, using solar and back up battery solutions. This concern should not delay the strategic shift to a lower emission fleet.

Other issues cited are also likely to be resolved over the coming years. They include model availability, which will increase and in fact is already doing so at speed plus, and the purchase price of EVs still being higher than for comparative ICE vehicles, although it is already becoming apparent that their operating costs are very competitive and, with oil prices rising rapidly, could soon be consistently lower.