Business EVs are an important part of the transition to electric transportation: companies buy vehicles in numbers, rather than single vehicles and therefore make a commitment to electric transportation. They can also add charge points to their workplaces, making charging easier.
The UK's National Grid is highlighting having over 1,000 electric vehicles in its UK fleet. The milestone, reached this summer, comes as the company releases its Responsible Business Charter, which reconfirms its commitment to having a 100% electric fleet by 2030 for its light-duty vehicles.
With around half of all vehicles on the road globally being operated by businesses, large corporations like National Grid have a key role to play in the wider transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, National Grid’s fleet is comprised of over 1,070 fully electric company cars and 312 zero-emission commercial vehicles (vans, 4x4s and trucks) across its UK and US businesses. It is currently on target to reach a 60% electrification of its fleet by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.
Lorna McAtear, UK Fleet Manager at National Grid said, “The UK’s transition to electric vehicles is a key component in the race to net zero and National Grid’s efforts to transform the country’s energy system mean we play a key role in facilitating this.
“It’s for this reason that we are determined to lead by example in electrifying our own fleet and to act as trailblazers and champions for the wider uptake of EVs amongst the communities we serve, so that we can build a more sustainable future together.”
In recent years National Grid has encouraged EV uptake amongst its workforce by providing charging facilities at their premises and by launching a fully electric zero emission shuttlebus for employees at its site at Warwick Technology Park. The free service, which operates between Leamington Spa town centre, the train station, and National Grid’s site at Warwick Technology Park covers around 50,000km (31,000 miles) on the route annually, resulting in savings of nearly 30 tonnes of CO2 per year.