Seven business benefits of EV chargers
The UK move to electric vehicles (EVs) keeps accelerating with more EV models sold so far in 2022 than during the whole of 2020.
Ditching fossil-fuel transport is central to the government’s net zero target and UK businesses will be the driving force in the transformation to an electric nation. With the government 100% behind the move to EVs, it’s the right time to make the move to green transport that is cheaper and cleaner than fossil fuels.
Moving to EV and installing charging points should be front-of-mind for any company looking to develop a comprehensive sustainability strategy. And there are good reasons to make the move.
1 Cost savings
There’s no argument about the cost-effectiveness of EV and companies making the move early have seen 20-25% savings because their electric fleet vehicles are more efficient, use more affordable fuel and cost much less to maintain. By 2040, electric fleets should have a 15-25% lower total cost of ownership than those with Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles.
While the costs of EV lifetime ownership are already cheaper than fossil-fuel vehicles, we’re seeing a rapid reduction in battery costs that should mean many EVs will have a similar price to ICE vehicles within three years.
Companies also benefit massively from the superior technology of EVs, with fewer moving parts that need much less maintenance, including no oil changes and practically no part replacements. That means fleet vehicles spend more time on the road and less time in the garage.
Company fuel bills become even cheaper when combined with solar panels to produce power for the EV chargers.
2 Help to achieve sustainability goals
The move to EV also helps companies with their sustainability goals and also to keep ahead of evolving government regulations around the electrification of the transport sector. Moving to electric fleets also gives a clear signal to customers and clients that you are actively working on environmental impacts.
EVs can reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% if the electricity used is from renewable sources. Going electric mean that firms can have the best of both worlds, with cost-effective and efficient fleets while demonstrating to green-aware consumers that the need to protect the planet is paramount.
Business EV charging also helps strengthen Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) policies, meaning greater investor appeal. The 2021 EY Global Institutional Investor Survey reports that 90% of investors surveyed said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, they attach greater importance to corporates’ ESG performance when it comes to their investment strategy and decision-making while 86% said that a corporate having a strong ESG program and performance would have a significant and direct impact on analyst recommendations..
3 Benefits in Kind (BiK) rates for company car drivers
A full EV charging system supports employees as part of a company car scheme they will benefit from a personal tax saving, if the fleet is EV. There is 2% benefit in kind tax on electric vehicles, while traditional diesel or petrol car attracts much higher benefit in kind tax.
4 Employee attraction and retention
A company with sustainability at its core will be in a better position to recruit and retain staff. Job vacancies in the UK are at an all-time high. According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 1.29m positions waiting to be filled in the first quarter of 2022, nearly 500,000 more than before the pandemic struck.
A study by People Management reports that 40% of people aged between 23 and 38 chose a job based on how sustainable the company was, with 70% also saying they would stay at a company that had a strong sustainability plan.
Faced with this talent crisis, employers need to show they have the best green policies and their moves to reduce carbon emissions as part of long-term sustainability plans, will include offering EV chargers, to increase the appeal to potential employees.
This can be combined with EV salary sacrifice schemes that enable an employee to pay for an electric car each month using their gross salary, before deductions are made for tax and other contributions.
5 Adds an asset value to your building
Adding EV charging can increase the value of a commercial building. For rental properties, EV chargers are a growing requirement and by pairing EV chargers with solar panels for free energy, net operating costs of the building are reduced.
6 Reduced costs in ULEZ and congestion zones
EV chargers providing power for company electric fleets help to reduce congestion charge costs when travelling in London. For example, the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) scheme can cost £12.50 a day for some fossil-fuel cars, and more for bigger vehicles. There are proposals to expand the ULEZ next summer. EVs and EV chargers provide a future-proof solution to congestion charges of all kinds.
7 Additional income stream
Destination charging is an effective way of developing an additional income stream, as well as attracting customers and boosting green credentials. Destination charging enables private and public sectors to offer EV charging as a service to the growing number of EV drivers.
EV charging-as-a-service opens up a valuable revenue stream, with destination chargers that are open to the general public, allowing the business owners to offer charging as a low-touch revenue generating service.
Easy charging with Easee
EV charging is not complicated – it’s effectively simply plugging in the vehicle like a standard appliance, using the right charging cable, and there are a range of solutions from electric vehicle charging companies to meet every business need.
Companies can choose grant-funded workplace chargers, or commercial destination solutions which provide revenue streams, offering electric vehicle charging as a service to customers.
A great option is the new Easee offering – a smart, simple and affordable solution for EV charging. Easee products will become part of the future power grid, one that distributes power more efficiently and utilises existing capacity in the best possible way.
Easee Charge maximises the available electrical capacity in a building. When multiple Charging Robots are connected to the same fuse, the available energy on the circuit will be automatically and dynamically distributed between units. (Optional Easee Equaliser required)
Easee can charge on both 1 and 3 phase power and supports charging up to 22 kW. It has a Type 2 universal charging connector and several units can be connected in series, so allowing for simple expansion. The Easee Charging Robot is also 70% smaller than other solutions on the market.
OZEV approved
The commercial EV charging solutions provided by SaveMoneyCutCarbon are all Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) approved and grant fundable. They’re suitable for high usage environments as well.
SaveMoneyCutCarbon offers a full, end-to-end solution for commercial EV charging stations, including:
- Preliminary High Level Desk Based Design and Feasibility Study
- Required Site Surveys and Audits
- Full System Design and Specification
- Finance Solutions available to keep capital expenditure down
- DNO Applications and Approval
- Associated Groundworks and Bay Marking
- Installation, Commissioning and Connections
- Back Office Support and Set Up
- After Care and Maintenance Contracts
Call Simon Blaaser, our EV expert, now about your EV charging point requirements on 0333 123 5464.