UK-based companies are planning to invest £15.8bn in the electrification of vehicle fleets in the next 12 months, according to a recent survey.
The research, commissioned by Centrica Business Solutions, revealed a 50% uplift on the £10.5bn spent last year.
Furthermore, the study found 40% of British businesses have already increased the number of EVs within their fleets between April 2020 and March 2021. Of these businesses, 58% cited the need to meet corporate sustainability targets as the biggest driving factor behind increased EV adoption.
This was followed by reducing operational disruption caused by low and zero-emission zones at 51%, with the attraction of the lower maintenance and whole-life costs offered by EVs quoted by 37% of respondents.
Four in ten businesses hadn’t increased EV numbers and 10% decreased their EV fleet size, with range anxiety reported as the chief concern.
Despite this, two-thirds of all companies polled claimed they are well-prepared to operate a fully electric fleet by 2030, in time for the government’s ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles.
Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “The fact that firms are planning to increase their spending so dramatically over the next 12 months is proof that more businesses are recognising the advantages of adopting low-emission vehicles, especially as they recover from coronavirus and seek to create sustainable growth.
“Now that 2030 is set in stone as the end of new petrol and diesel sales we need to ensure three things to help get us there, sufficient electric vehicles to meet demand, reliable charging infrastructure that’s available to all and a flexible energy system that can deliver green power where it’s needed.”
