I can’t help but feel elated that a manufacturer such as Toyota is talking about making electric cars with a range of 1000kms – or 620 miles. That’s an astonishing distance on a single charge.
Toyota says it will achieve what today seems an implausible distance by 2026, just three years away. Such progress is thanks to greater energy density in the battery cell, lightweighting vehicle architecture and improving vehicle aerodynamics to increase cruising range.
What’s more, Toyota says it will also balance performance (extended range) against affordability, with lower cost batteries that will make its current SUV bZ4X model (current cost from £46,000) some 20 per cent cheaper.
There will also be rapid charging, with a 10 to 80 per cent charge taking 20 minutes or less.
For me, this really takes on the three negatives against adopting EVs: perceived lack of range; cost; and time to re-energise the battery.
It’s particularly welcome after the continued negativity from the press towards EVs, such as the recent ill-informed piece in the Guardian from Rowan Atkinson and the disappointing BBC Panorama programme that aired this week.
I think Toyota’s statement shows what an exciting place we’re at and how the technology is developing at pace. Remember that first Nissan Leaf? It arrived in the UK in 2011 and had a range of 109 miles. Today the battery in the luxury Mercedes-Benz EQS offers 453 miles on a charge. What a difference!
But new technology should not be a barrier to adoption today.
Just think of the latest TVs and smartphones – the moment you buy one you know you are consigning yourself to outdated technology within 12 months. But that doesn’t stop brands such as the Apple iPhone remaining a fantastic best seller.
The same is true for fleets looking to decarbonise as part of a company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.
There will always be a new car with greater battery range coming in the future – that’s progress. But there remains a variety of vehicles available today that provide zero emission motoring, reduced tax bills and lower whole life costs that can do the job perfectly well today.
I would also say that leasing an EV as part of this decarbonisation process provides risk protection against new technology obsolescence and offers access to the newest tech – and better battery range – every two, three or four years depending on your fleet’s operating cycle.
Tomorrow’s battery technology promises brilliant cars for fleets in the future. But today’s issues around fleet choice of zero and ultra low emission vehicles should not be shelved. The vehicles are more than capable for the demands of your fleet – and you will benefit from longer operational experience if you make the switch today. So what’s stopping you?
I can’t help but feel elated that a manufacturer such as Toyota is talking about making electric cars with a range of 1000kms – or 620 miles. That’s an astonishing distance on a single charge. Toyota says it will achieve what today seems an implausible distance by 2026, just three years away. Such progress is … Continued
Fleet Alliance has always focused on the SME market since the company’s inception in 2002. Naturally, we can service larger clients, too, but providing SME fleets with fleet management is, and always has been, at the core of what we do. What makes us so good at this? We think it’s a broad range of … Continued
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Sustainability. It’s at the centre of what we do as a fleet mobility provider, whether that’s advising our clients on vehicle decarbonisation, or reviewing our business processes as part of our commitment to a transparent ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) agenda. So the opportunity to progress our sustainability programme with a partner that was as … Continued
We’ve been tackling some of the issues surrounding the transfer to a decarbonised fleet. These include whether an electric vehicle (EV) is dirtier than an petrol or diesel (ICE) car – no it’s not, but it’s not black and white either. Or what happens to old EV batteries, mainly they go to second use. As … Continued
This was a significant moment, I believe. The moment when the first of the European car makers decided now was the time to make electric cars more affordable – and, importantly, more fleet focused. The new Volkswagen ID.2 – or ID.2all to give the car its full title – was shown last week as a … Continued
Fleet Alliance, along with other members of Climate Group’s EV100, are now running a combined total of more than 400,000 electric vehicles. It’s a remarkable achievement in a short period of time – just five years since the creation of EV100, a group of progressive companies that are committed to electrifying fleets by 2030. … Continued
Electric cars are becoming an increasingly common sight on the road. In 2022, electric cars (EVs) outsold diesel vehicles, taking over 16% of the new car market. Thanks to advantageous running costs, electric cars are proving extremely popular with business users and fleets – last year Fleet Alliance sold double the national average of electric … Continued
I can’t think of a more exciting time to be involved in the automotive sector with the migration from fossil based fuels to electric power for cars and vans. It’s the moment when the internal combustion engine cedes power to the electric drivetrain. Whatever the current operational difficulties, this is a historic period: the end … Continued
The difficulty in accessing new vehicles over the last couple of years has meant many fleets have needed to extend their current vehicles beyond planned running parameters. Ordering new vehicles remains complex and frustrating with often long delays running out to 12 months before the expected delivery date. But recently we have started to see … Continued