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What’s stopping the electric vehicle revolution in business?

A Corporate Vehicle Observatory report shows UK businesses are reluctant to invest in electric vehicles, so what’s stopping the electric vehicle revolution?
Woman charging Renault Zoe
Electric charger network is growing

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15 November 2017

A NEW report from the Corporate Vehicle Observatory, has revealed UK businesses are reluctant to invest in electric powered vehicles, so what’s stopping the electric vehicle revolution?

The UK government and top car manufacturers have committed to create a solid electric car infrastructure, but this could be fruitless if drivers don’t want to make the switch. Here, we’ll look at why businesses are so far failing to join the electric vehicle revolution.

Larger businesses remain more open to making the switch

It seems larger businesses are more open to switching to electric powered vehicles. However, there were still only 30% of those questioned who were actually considering introducing them in the next three years. The majority (61%), were considering switching to hybrids instead.

The number of small to medium size businesses considering switching to electric vehicles however, dropped to just 12%, while 26% planned to invest in hybrid models. These figures were compared against fleet decision makers in 13 different countries including Greece, Belgium, Germany and The Czech Republic. In comparison, the UK was shown to potentially be the slowest to join the electrical revolution over the next three years.

What’s stopping businesses investing in electric vehicles?

According to the report, the main reasons businesses choose not to invest in electrical cars include:

  • Not enough charging points
  • They’re too expensive to purchase
  • They doubt the green credentials of electric vehicles over time
  • They would be pretty tough to run over long distances

The worry over the limited number of charging points available is actually shared by the majority of UK drivers. A recent electric vehicles survey carried out by Ovo Energy also saw 56% of participants claim they’re worried over a lack of charging points.

The truth is, there’s approximately 13,629 different charging points situated within the UK. This number is also increasing rapidly as the government looks to increase investment in electrical powered vehicles. So, while businesses may be concerned, there may be a lot more charging points available than they realise.

It’s also true that, initially, electrical powered vehicles can cost more than petrol or diesel models. However, the cost of running them is much cheaper. In fact, most of the reasons businesses have been put off taking the electrical plunge either are no longer valid, or they’re misunderstood.

It’s easy to see why businesses may be put off joining the electric vehicle revolution. However, significant improvements have been made by both the government and car manufacturers, to ensure the initial issues faced with electrical powered vehicles no longer apply.

The truth is, businesses large and small could see major savings if they were to switch to an electrical fleet.

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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