September 9, 2022
Abby Nuttall
Electric and Hybrid News
Today is World EV Day and we’re celebrating by looking at the benefits of electric vehicles and how they can help your fleet.
What Are EVs?
EVs are electric vehicles which are powered by an electric motor and rechargeable battery rather than the internal combustion engine (ICE) that petrol and diesel vehicles have.
You can get full electric vehicles (EVs) which are totally powered by the electric system or a hybrid models which have both the electric system and an ICE.
What is World EV Day?
World EV Day is a day dedicated to promoting and celebrating the use of EVs as a green choice for drivers around the world. It’s celebrated by car manufacturers, businesses and drivers around the globe with virtual interactions across social media platforms and in-person meet-ups.
Hybrid EVS
We’ve already mentioned hybrid cars and you can get a detailed breakdown of them in our guide to hybrid cars for businesses but we think it’s important to explain a little more about them, even though World EV Day is dedicated to full EVs.
There are three main different types of hybrid vehicles:
- Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)
- Full hybrids (HEVs)
- Mild hybrids (MHEVs)
PHEVs as the name suggests need plugging in to recharge the battery and because of this they tend to have the longest purely electric range because they can have larger batteries that aren’t dependent on the ICE to recharge them.
HEVs are those which still offer a range from just the electric system but do not need to be plugged in to charge them so will have a much smaller range due to recharging from regenerative braking and the ICE. Additionally, a HEV will use the electric system to support the ICE at key moments like accelerating from a stop.
MHEVs have no purely electric range and instead use regenerative braking and provide extra boosts of power when the vehicle needs it.
Hybrids of all kinds are seen by many as a stepping stone in their business’ journey as they are not as much of an adjustment to their drivers and the existing fleet management strategies as a full EV is.
Benefits of EVS
There are plenty of benefits to adding electric vehicles into your fleet line up and you can see them all here but we wanted to give you our top five picks:
1. Large range of vehicles to choose from – nearly every manufacturer on the market is now making EVs and many more are expected to go on sale in the next few years as we move closer to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.
2. Long distance mileage ranges now standard – Most vehicles can achieve between 200 and 400 miles between charges which is more than enough for drivers’ every day needs. Additionally, you can choose the long range options for your drivers who cover the largest distances and look at adding EV chargers to your sites to help them stay mobile.
3. Quick charging to minimise down time – rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are available to minimise the time drivers are off-road on longer trips and to reduce the time they have to spend plugged in at home or the office.
4. Zero emissions – EVs produce zero pollution at the point of use which improves the air quality. Additionally, because it’s the combustion engine which produces most of the noise in a vehicle they’re much quieter and don’t contribute to noise pollution.
5. Lower running costs – EVs have fewer moving parts which means there’s fewer components to experience wear and tear so lower general maintenance costs. You’ll also pay less in road tax and company car tax due to these being based on the vehicle’s emission levels.
Things to Consider with Adding EVs to Your Fleet
There are a few factors you want to consider when adding EVs to your fleet.Firstly, we advise doing a staggered integration as you update to an electric fleet so that drivers can acclimatise to the vehicles and there are still ICE cars and vans available if needed.
Secondly, you need to know your fleet needs and where EV’s will be the easiest to integrate with minimum changes and have a strategy to handle these changes as well as any questions you may get from drivers.
Thirdly, you need to know when a particular department or vehicle is not ready to be changed. For drivers who travel a long distance or cargo vans that cover a large area an EV might not be suitable just yet and you should recognise this and know that an effective EV integration strategy may not involve a total switch just yet.
Wessex Fleet and EVs
Here at Wessex Fleet we’re able to off our customers fleet management and maintenance services for vehicles of all fuel types including EVs and hybrids. For more information on our fleet management services get in touch here or give our team a call on 01722 322 888.
We’ve also got dedicated electric sections in both our driver guides and business guides to help you and your drivers understand EVs and hybrids, the benefits and drawbacks of them and much more.
Here at Wessex Fleet we also pride ourselves on knowing what is happening in the EV sector so we’re best able to help our clients, this means we also keep an eye on updates to low emission zones (LEZ) around the UK as well as the latest in vehicle advancements which you’ll updates on in our blog.
Enjoyed this article? Read more of our latest blogs below:
- Why You Should Get On With Your Fleet Management
- Best Time to Update Your Business Fleet
- Getting Replacement Car Keys
- 10 Greenest Company Cars
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