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Big companies leading the way with alternative fuels, Arval finds
Date: 24 September 2019 | Author: Sean Keywood
Larger employers are by far the most likely to have adopted hybrids, plug-in hybrids or electric vehicles (EVs) on their fleets, according to leasing company Arval.
As part of its Mobility Observatory survey, the firm found that overall 34% of fleet managers had implemented alternative fuels.
However, this figure shot up to 78% for businesses with more than 1,000 employees, compared with 46% for firms with 100-999 employees, 22% for those with 10-99 employees, and just 5% for those with fewer than 10 employees.
In total, 25% of organisations are using or plan to use hybrids, 22% plug-in hybrids and 16% EVs.
Head of Arval's Mobility Observatory in the UK Shaun Sadlier said: "The fact that larger organisations are leading the way in the adoption of newer fuel options is unsurprising for a number of reasons.
"Many have corporate social responsibility targets to meet and a more structured approach to their fleet, so tend to incorporate new developments into their fleet policies as a matter of course in a methodical fashion.
"Our view is that this is happening simply because these businesses have fewer resources available to take time to understand the advantages of EVs, for example.
"Bearing in mind that a substantial part of the company car parc is operated by fleets at the smaller end of the spectrum, it perhaps indicates that special efforts need to be made across the fleet sector to educate them about the benefits of these newer vehicles."
The research also found that the UK is among the leading European countries in the adoption of alternative fuels, placing second only to the Netherlands out of 16 countries surveyed.
Sadlier said that he was pleased to see UK fleets playing such an important part in the adoption of hybrids and EVs across the continent.
He said: "The UK fleet sector is probably the most developed in Europe and we do tend to be a pioneer in new areas.
"The shift to a more diverse energy mix is an important development and the work that is being done here is often subsequently being adopted by Arval in other countries."
