UK firms are set to invest £13.6bn to deploy 163,000 new EVs this year, according to research from Centrica Business Solutions.
The study revealed that businesses spent £11.6bn on EVs and infrastructure in 2021 and are looking to increase this spending by 15%, meaning £13.6bn total investment in fleet electrification over the next year.
The report, Charging forward: How businesses are powering the EVolution, compiled responses from more than 200 UK businesses across a variety of sectors.
The survey found a 35% increase in businesses operating EVs by the end of 2022, compared with 121,000 firms registered last year.
The average fleet size reportedly grew from 74 in 2020 to 93 in 2022, with 44% of respondents saying they had increased EV use in their businesses.
Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “The UK continues to make significant inroads towards achieving its electric vehicle ambitions and it’s encouraging to see UK businesses prioritising investment in the journey towards electrification over the next 12 months.
“Businesses will continue to play a vital role in achieving the UK’s green transport ambitions, but with a record number of EVs expected to enter the UK this year, we must ensure the supply of vehicles and wider charging infrastructure is robust enough to meet the demand.
“Combining energy technology such as solar panels and battery storage into the wider charging infrastructure will help harness renewables and reduce the demand on the grid during peak charging times.”
Ahead of the 2030 ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars, 62% of fleet businesses said they expected to be fully electric in the next four years.
Charging anxiety was also covered, with 63% of businesses expressing concern about access to public charging infrastructure.
