Survey Plugs U.K. Business Support for EV Fleets

LONDON – More than two-thirds of a million U.K. business drivers say they would switch to electric vehicles if their employers gave them the option for their next car.

That’s according to research by Go Ultra Low, a low-emissions lobbying group.

The joint U.K. government and automotive industry campaign finds only 25% of businesses offer electric company cars to employees. Of those motorists currently unable to go electric, 69% said they likely would choose an EV as their next company car if they were made available.

Among companies that already offer EVs to their employees, 86% of respondents say they likely would consider an electric car next time around – meaning there would be 700,000 more EV company cars on the roads.

In the first 10 months of 2016, more than 30,000 EVs were registered across the U.K., with about 70% going to businesses. Government data shows 940,000 company cars currently are registered to businesses in the region.

Speaking at the Go Ultra Low-sponsored “Future of the Car Summit,” Transport Minister John Hayes says: “Low-emission vehicles have enormous potential to usher in a new era for road transport, and we have committed £600 million ($745 million) as part of our plan to making them the natural choice for motorists.

“Businesses have a role to play in boosting the numbers of electric vehicles on our roads, and this survey shows that employees want to drive them. Gradually making fleets zero-emission would improve air quality, as well as helping companies reduce their costs.

“We want to make it easier for companies to adopt these cleaner cars, and recently made £7.5 million ($9.3 million) available to workplaces who want to install chargepoints.”

Earlier this year, Go Ultra Low established the Go Ultra Low Companies initiative to recognize and reward public and private-sector organizations that already offer EVs to employees as company cars. Since the initiative launched in May, more than 75 companies and non-government organizations have achieved Go Ultra Low status, with Transport for London, the University of Cambridge and the London Fire Brigade among those signing up.