More than 100 companies have now promised to integrate electric cars into their corporate fleet under the government-backed electric car campaign, Go Ultra Low.
The milestone was reached on Friday after Ovo Energy, Oxford City Council, Santander UK, Swansea University and Gatwick Airport joined the initiative, which sees companies pledge that electric vehicles will make up at least five per cent of their fleets by 2020.
They join the likes of Britvic, the London Fire Brigade and Microsoft UK in making the pledge, although many plan to go further than the five per cent target – Santander, for example, said 10 per cent of its 1,400-strong fleet would be electric by the end of the decade.
Climate Change Minister Claire Perry said the news was the latest sign the UK is investing in innovative green technologies. “This government backs companies that make the switch to low emission vehicles through grants and incentives – it’s good for business, good for the air we all breathe and good for reducing the amount of greenhouse gas we produce,” she said in a statement welcoming the news.
The cheaper running costs and greener carbon profile are making EVs an increasingly popular choice for work-related driving. Research conducted by the Go Ultra Low campaign earlier this year found that 69 per cent of people without access to an electric company car said they would choose one if they could. Meanwhile data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed companies accounted for 65 per cent of new EV registrations in the first six months of this year.
“The UK government wants every new car and van in Britain to be ultra-low emission by 2040, and the corporate sector has a huge role to play in achieving this goal,” Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, said in a statement. “Forward-thinking organisations are well on the road to emission-free and low-cost motoring, taking significant numbers of EVs onto their fleets, learning where they are fit for purpose.”
Source: businessgreen.com
