No vehicle fleet? Here’s why the EV revolution still matters to your business
With the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales in sight, the electric vehicle (EV) revolution is well underway. There are an estimated 400,000+ electric cars on the road today and it’s projected that by the end of 2022, EVs will outsell diesel and mild hybrid diesel vehicles.
But not every UK organisation has a fleet of vehicles that needs switching to electric. As a result, you might have underestimated the contribution your business needs to make in the EV revolution.
Organisations without fleets still have a huge role to play. Consumers – and employees – are looking towards businesses, particularly the hospitality and entertainment sectors, to commit to electric, too. Installing charging infrastructure on site will be critical in years to come.
We’ve compiled six reasons why you should consider installing charge points sooner rather than later:
1. Put your business on the map
93% of EV owners use public charge points. By providing charging facilities, you’ll put your organisations name on the map – quite literally.
With apps such as Zap-Map, carwow and Instavolt helping EV drivers plan their journeys alongside charging locations, you can increase brand awareness and have an advantage over your competitors.
And, with a positive charging experience, brand loyalty will bring customers back time and time again.
2. Increase your footfall
As more and more consumers switch to electric vehicles, they’ll expect their local supermarkets, shopping centres, gyms, hotels and restaurants to keep up with the change too. Just like free wifi is expected in much of these places today, charging facilities will become not just convenient, but, at times, an essential.
If your organisation doesn’t provide EV charge points for customers to recharge while visiting you, they may well look elsewhere.
3. Increase customer visit duration
And, unlike the internal combustion vehicles (ICEs), EVs take a little longer to ‘refuel’. Charging can take anywhere from 30 minutes to more than 12 hours depending on the battery and type of charger, leaving EV drivers with time to kill. Whether that be grabbing a bite to eat in your restaurant, shopping or using other facilities, it’s opportunity for them to spend more time – and money – with you.
4. Generate extra revenue
As well as extending customer durations, charge points offer a revenue generator in themselves. By selling electricity to EV owners, you can create additional income. You can do this using one of two strategies: blanket – where everybody (customers and public) pays,or stratified – where only the public pay.
5. Demonstrate your ESG commitment
Nowadays, many businesses have an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. Any absence of EV infrastructure will undermine your organisations efforts.
By installing charge points, you’ll be helping to reduce your carbon footprint and some Scope 3 carbon emissions.
6. Optimise with data
Charge points can provide a whole host of information. For example, Drax’s portal, My Electric Vehicles, provides insight on CO2 savings, energy usage, cost savings and charge point activity. If used effectively, this insight can feed into ROI reports, marketing activity and internal reports to support the business case and improve operations.
Organisations need to be able to cope with the significant change expected within the EV market in the next 5-10 years. Investing in the right infrastructure that accommodate electric vehicles, regardless of whether you own a fleet yourselves will ultimately future proof your business. Get ahead of your competitors and consider charge point installation today.
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