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Healthcare company Abbott Laboratories is targeting switching its entire 475-strong UK car fleet to EVs during 2023 with leasing company Arval UK.
Abbott is said to be planning the move for environmental and also financial reasons.
Its UK human resources director Les Muggeridge (pictured) said: "As a healthcare specialist, we have continually worked to make our fleet as environmentally friendly as possible, simply because it is the right thing to do, looking at the latest science over the years to switch from petrol to diesel, then from diesel to hybrids, and now to EVs.
"This electrification policy also helps us commercially. For example, the NHS is our single biggest customer in the UK and their tenders are scored partially on environmental grounds. Working towards a zero emissions fleet helps us to win contracts.
"We've set ourselves an objective of becoming all-EV next year, something that has been made possible in part by Arval working with us to revise our policy to enable us to remove ICE and PHEV models at the earliest opportunity. The only potential stumbling block is supply, which is a tricky area for everyone at the moment, but otherwise we are very much on target."
Arval has worked with Abbott on a solus basis for more than ten years, supplying contract hire cars on a 48-month lease.
Abbot fleet, risk, and financial projects manager Christina Harbour said: "We've tried to make EV adoption as easy as possible for our employees. Drivers can choose almost any model currently available in the UK, as long as it has a minimum 170-mile range.
"Drivers are also allowed to add their own contribution to cars of up to 20% and many have chosen to do this, especially in relation to a new 90 car Tesla opportunity that Arval has been able to secure. This is especially attractive because the cars are price protected.
"Additionally, we've worked with Arval to make charging as easy as possible, with the cost of installing home charging included in the monthly lease payments, which is quite an innovation. There are also extensive charging facilities available at almost all of our UK sites."
Abbott now has fewer than 100 drivers still in ICE vehicles, with some waiting for EV orders and a remaining handful said to be reluctant to switch, with Abbott deploying a training course with the aim of changing attitudes.
Arval UK head of IBO and large corporate sales Jamie Williams said: "Abbott is a progressive fleet and will probably be one of the first of this size to move to all-EV.
"They are very much a best practice example to the sector, showing how the advantages of electrification can be accessed to the benefit of an entire business."
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