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 of fossil fuels and the switching to zero-emission motoring.
As a business, Fleet Alliance has been championing the electrification of fleets from the moment our commercial director stepped into a Jaguar I-PACE back in February 2019. Since then, all Fleet Alliance company cars have transitioned to electric as existing contracts ran their course, giving us an unrivalled knowledge bank for advising customer fleets to do the same.
So it’s particularly pleasing to be awarded Best EV Broker by the Leasing Broker Federation. It’s one of five amazing awards that the business picked up at an awards ceremony last week (15 November 2022), including the overall title of Best Overall Broker, along with customer service and fleet management awards.
I think it speaks volumes about the level of expertise and service that our business provides.
But it’s the EV award that I really want to focus on.
We very much wanted to lead on the transition to electrification early on and it’s one of the reasons we became a member of EV100, a collection of businesses that are focused on transitioning fleets to electric by 2030.
It’s not always easy. Sometimes the benefits of electrification are not obvious. When we speak to fleets, one of the typical objections is the EV rental versus an equivalent diesel or petrol car. However, we have sophisticated whole life cost tools to illustrate that – despite the apparent price disparity – electric cars are less expensive on whole life costs, while the monthly drop in driver benefit in kind taxation is akin to providing a salary rise for an employee, a particularly useful move against the ever-increasing cost of living.
There are plenty more obstacles to be overcome, most commonly EV range and charging infrastructure. But our team, based on its extensive own user knowledge, can help guide and inform businesses on how to navigate these issues successfully.
Moving beyond company cars, we’re taking the lead in offering non-qualifying company car drivers the opportunity to experience electric motoring through our innovative electric car salary sacrifice scheme.
I see it as the democratisation of the electric car. Salary sacrifice allows a company’s employees to experience the benefits of going zero emission at a far lower cost than leasing privately. Again, we help both staff and the finance and HR departments understand the extraordinary cost benefits with our specially developed salary sacrifice tool, and then help employees on the transition from their old car to the new electric vehicle.
Cost benefits are just one part of the electrification picture, however. The impact on society of zero-emission cars is huge, offering significant benefits in cleaner air. Encouraging companies to go electric now plays an enormous role in the Environmental, Social and Governance agenda. And being able to offer salary sacrifice to all staff provides a positive demonstration of this commitment. It’s a message that’s increasingly finding a receptive audience.
Does all this sound slightly campaigning?
Well, yes, I think it does. It positively reflects our position on the importance of electrification.
Which is why I’m absolutely delighted to have won the Leasing Broker Federation’s EV Award above all else in our five-award haul. It’s recognition of our early position on EVs and continued push for fleets to decarbonise. We’re very grateful for that recognition.
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
Fleet Alliance has won an astonishing five awards at the 2022 Leasing Broker Federation (LBF) awards event – 50% of all the awards available on the day. The Glasgow-based vehicle funding and fleet management specialist, which manages in excess of 30,000 vehicles on behalf of SME and corporate clients, scooped the top award on the … 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
While the revolving doors and chaos of our government was unfolding, it was a pleasure to walk through the calmer doors of the Porte de Versailles for the Paris Salon. While the Geneva Motor Show continues to be cancelled – and then scheduled for Qatar not Switzerland in 2023 – it was a real pleasure … Continued
Acronyms are the language of the automotive industry. Who doesn’t like an EV, a PHEV, and an ICE? Or how about an ECOS, or an AMAP? Wherever you turn in the automotive industry, there is always a new acronym waiting to surprise you. One acronym, though, is transcending the automotive industry: ESG. It’s coursing through … Continued
As the boss of your own successful company, or CEO of a profitable and progressive medium-sized enterprise, where do you go when you’ve already enjoyed the Porsche Taycan? What’s the next step in the fast EV journey (that can still be through the business as a fleet car – just)? If you’re in a standard … Continued
We asked Fleet Alliance, Corporate Sales Director, Rob Wentworth-James about his experiences of living with an electric car rather than a conventional engined vehicle for a ‘warts and all’ view. Here’s what he had to say. Q1. What car do you drive, what is its range and how long have you had it – … Continued
Electricity costs are going up. We know this. The price cap – the most you can be charged on a default tariff – rises from 0.28p per kW to 0.52p per kW from the start of October. Inevitably this Ofgem cap rise will increase the cost of charging up an electric vehicle (EV), definitely at … Continued
Red hot. Wherever you looked on a weather map last week, Europe was either an intense orange or a bright red. Worse, much of Europe and the UK was literally on fire. It was a truly terrifying ordeal for many and we must not forget those firefighters who struggled to douse the flames – let … Continued
We are absolutely delighted to be named A Best Workplace For Women 2022. Making the workplace inclusive is crucial to all of us at Fleet Alliance, and we think that’s reflected in the overall complexion of the Fleet Alliance workforce which is split 53% to 47% female to male. We believe that’s particularly noteworthy, because … Continued