THE country’s biggest food delivery company, Just Eat, has announced it will convert its entire corporate fleet to electric vehicles by 2025.
The news will delight climate campaigners and comes as new data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that 58.5% of EVs on UK roads are now company registered.
Just Eat dominates the UK food delivery business with a 45% share of the market with UberEats on 27% and Deliveroo on 26%. The industry is estimated to be worth £1.4bn a year.
The UK’s leading car leasing site, Select Car Leasing, has called on UK drivers to make the switch to electric vehicles, claiming companies that adopt a green vehicle fleet can play a huge part in making our roads more sustainable.
Sarah Worthington, Fleet Specialist at Select Car Leasing, said that growth in electric vehicles for the Corporate Fleet Team has been “record-setting.”
“In the last year, the number of electric vehicle fleets leased has increased from 25.12% to 37.25%,” she explained.
“Fleets are placing record-setting orders for electric vehicles (EVs), and all evidence suggests that these numbers will continue to rise.
“EVs do not waste half as much energy as petrol or diesel vehicles do when they use fuel. EVs will also cost far less money to keep running in the long run. Thisismoney.co.uk estimates that an electric car can work out being 61% cheaper than its petrol equivalent.”
Earlier this year, more than thirty companies were issued with fines by the Environment Agency as part of nationwide efforts to reduce emissions.
Sarah admitted some companies are reluctant to use EVs over fears of a lack of charging stations in the UK while others point to a variety of global issues for lack of investment.
But she said a major benefit of EV fleets is the potential for saving money through tax reductions.
“Tax benefits for electric vehicles introduced in April 2020 mean that businesses can claim up to 100% of the cost of an electric vehicle against the profits of the year of purchase.
“Plus, employees that use a private electric vehicle for business purposes may be entitled to claim an annual tax-free mileage allowance of 45p per mile for the first 10,000 miles driven and 25p per mile after that.”
“With our Select buying power and close manufacturer relationships, there is no better place for a customer to secure the best pricing and vehicle availability.
“Overall, it is worth remembering that the long-term environmental and financial benefits of switching to an EV fleet far outweigh the headache that any of these stumbling blocks might pose.
“EV fleets are an essential part of our collective fight against the climate crisis since there is already a significant impact on the environment caused by the fuel consumption of petrol or diesel vehicle fleets.
“Switching to a greener fleet is also a way of demonstrating both to your employees and the broader community that your company cares about their long-term health and well-being.
“With an EV fleet, you are making a statement that you are dedicated to delivering services in a sustainable way, which can only reflect well on the public opinion of your company.”
For more information go to: www.selectcarleasing.co.uk/electrify-your-fleet
