Electric vehicle hire in focus as officials plan quick switch to EVs

Flexible hire will have a key role to play as the nation’s switch to electric vehicles gathers pace.

As the government accelerates the rollout of public charging points with a £1.6 billion expansion, a growing number of businesses will start the road to zero.

These fleets can gain access to a cost-efficient way to start their transition through flexible hire, which avoids the significant up-front costs of purchase, or the long-term commitments involved in leasing.

Reflex Vehicle Hire has led the way in supporting fleets via plug-in plans. For example, Reflex Renewable Drive provides fleet managers with test drive access to the latest electric cars and vans to support their decision-making.

We have also launched EV:IE (Electric Vehicle Information Exchange), a unique fleet evaluation tool that analyses data on a company’s current vehicle choices and provides insights on alternative zero-emission cars and vans that could replace them. Our goal is to make electric vehicle hire accessible to you, and we pride ourselves on that.

Lisa Spong, Reflex Vehicle Hire Sales Director, said:

“For many fleets, the government’s announcement on expansion of the charging network will be a lightbulb moment, where they realise a plug-in vehicle could work for their business. We are working closely with the fleet industry to provide the best support, advice and information to turn their carbon reduction plans into reality.”

As part of its investment programme, the government will spend £500 million bringing public charge points to communities across the UK, including EV hubs and on-street charging.

There will also be at least 6,000 super-fast charge points across England’s motorways by 2035.

The government is also mandating that operators provide real-time data about charge points so consumers can compare prices, while they will all accept contactless payments.

The plans will also require a 99% reliability rate for charging.

Last year, pure electric vehicles accounted for over 11% of car sales, totalling nearly 191,000 vehicles, while in the van sector EV demand doubled, giving plug-in vehicles more than 3% of the market. In February this year, more than one in 10 commercial vehicle sales were electrified models.

Experts predict that the rising costs of petrol and diesel will send the demand for electric vehicles even higher this year.

To learn more about how Reflex Vehicle Hire can support your electric journey, speak to a member of our expert team.

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